The first episode of Sounds of Justice teases out the different dimensions of the relationship between music and human rights. The four guests, all co-editors of the Routledge Companion, explore what the language of music and the values of human rights have in common; and how music’s capacity to connect us to our common humanity while attuning us to difference can power ongoing struggles for justice.

About the host

Ignacio Saiz is a human rights advocate and independent advisor to international organizations. He previously led the Center for Economic and Social Rights and held senior positions at Amnesty International. A lifelong passion for music has led him to explore how its power can be harnessed to advance human rights, including as creator and host of Sounds of Justice.

* Julian Fifer

is former Executive Director of Musicians for Human Rights. As cellist and founder of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, he conceived a method of orchestral music-making using democratic principles and collective leadership. The artistic outcomes have been documented by Deutsche Grammophon on 55 Orpheus recordings.

* Angela Impey

is Emerita Professor of Ethnomusicology at SOAS, University of London and co-editor of the Routledge SOAS Studies in Music series. She has published widely on music and social justice in Africa, including the award-winning Song Walking: Women, Music, and Environmental Justice in an African Borderland.

* Manfred Nowak

is Professor of International Human Rights Law at the University of Vienna and Secretary General of the Global Campus of Human Rights, a network of some 100 universities in all world regions, based in Venice.

* George Ulrich

is Academic Director of the Global Campus of Human Rights (Venice, Italy). His research interests relate to the philosophy of human rights, global justice, and human rights and development cooperation.