Professor Felicity Laurence is an internationally acclaimed British Jewish music educator, social activist, and scholar. Born in New Zealand, she lived in Germany and elsewhere before settling in the UK. She is Professor Emerita of Music and Human Rights at the University of Brighton and a global leader in advocating for social justice and intercultural dialogue through music.
Her research centers on music as a medium for “empathy,” exploring how collaborative creation and singing can help individuals—especially children—transcend prejudice and build deep psychological connections. She has spent years facilitating music projects in conflict zones, providing spaces for youth in Palestine and Israel to express themselves beyond narratives of violence. Her academic work, Music and Empathy, is a seminal text in the field.
In her current home of Hastings, she co-founded “Hastings Jews for Justice,” a community group dedicated to education and solidarity, showcasing the diverse Jewish voices against racism and occupation. As a steadfast member of Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL), she combats the labeling of pro-Palestine advocacy as antisemitism, asserting that defending truth is central to Jewish ethics. She actively protests the “chilling effect” and de-platforming of pro-Palestine artists, calling for the protection of art as a space for free expression and dissent.
Laurence maintains that in a shrinking artistic space, telling the truth is an act of art itself. She has argued: “Different voices are so important – to say, ‘It’s not antisemitic to criticise a fascist government’ – but in the arts world where I am, so many doors are being closed, so much is being shut down. We have to keep protesting and explaining why.”