Our People

Marie Dobing is a South Africa-born violinist, music educator and arts leader. She completed her Master's degree in Music at the University of Cape Town under South African violinist and pedagogue, the late Jack de Wet, before moving to the UK in 2006.

Marie spent over a decade at Britten Pears Arts (formerly the Britten-Pears Foundation), where she served as Artist Development Manager for the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme at Snape Maltings. In this role, she designed and led instrumental development programmes and curated and managed major orchestral projects.

Highlights include curating and managing the Aldeburgh World Orchestra for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, bringing together 130 outstanding young musicians from 35 countries to tour under Sir Mark Elder, culminating in performances at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and the 2012 BBC Proms. She also curated and managed the Britten-Pears Orchestra for the landmark 2013 performance of Peter Grimes on Aldeburgh Beach, conducted by the late Sir Steuart Bedford as part of the Britten Centenary celebrations. The subsequent Signum Classics recording received the BBC Music Magazine Opera Award in 2014.

Alongside her arts management career, Marie is a passionate educator. She has undertaken specialist training with the British Kodály Academy and holds accreditation from the Paul Rolland String Teachers' Association and the British Suzuki Association. Her teaching and mentoring experience includes work with Sistema Scotland, Sistema Norwich, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama's Junior String Training Programme, and as a mentor for the Youth Orchestras of the Americas Global Leaders Programme.

Driven by a deep belief that talent is distributed evenly but opportunity is not, Marie founded MORABE Rural Music, taking its name from the Sesotho word MORABE, meaning "your tribe" or "your people". The name reflects the charity's belief that music has the power to build belonging, strengthen communities and ensure that every child has a voice in the cultural landscape and the opportunity to thrive, regardless of background.

Under Marie's leadership, MORABE has grown from a small start-up supporting just six pupils into a charity reaching more than 400 children, young people and adults weekly through its schools and community activity across three partner schools and communities in Suffolk. Today, MORABE is recognised for its innovative, inclusive approach to rural music education, removing financial and geographical barriers so that every child can access high-quality musical opportunities regardless of where they live or their family's circumstances.

Bella Scarr is MORABE Rural Music's Operational Lead. She is an experienced project manager, executive producer and operational leader with an extensive track record of delivering complex projects across the cultural, commercial and charitable sectors. She brings specialist expertise in organisational development, governance, operational systems, compliance, project management and business planning, combining creative ambition with robust operational and financial leadership.

Bella has led projects and organisations ranging from international touring dance companies and nationally recognised festivals to major arts organisations. She has extensive experience overseeing organisational governance, financial management, HR, risk management and legal compliance, together with developing the systems and infrastructure that enable organisations to grow sustainably. A PRINCE2-qualified Project Manager, she is particularly skilled at translating strategic vision into effective operational delivery.

Bella is also Executive Producer of the Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival and runs her own specialist project management company, Relish Projects.

Her previous roles include General Manager of the Russell Maliphant Dance Company and Project Manager at Britten Pears Arts, Masterplan Project Manager at Imperial War Museums, Producer at Sound and Music for King's College Choir, and a range of internationally recognised creative organisations.

As Operational Lead at MORABE, Bella is leading the development of the charity's operational infrastructure, including systems, governance, compliance and organisational processes. Her expertise is strengthening the foundations needed to support MORABE's next stage of growth, ensuring the charity has the capacity, resilience and operational excellence to meet increasing demand.

Caroline Henderson-Holmes is MORABE Rural Music's Community Lead & Evaluation Administrator. Originally from the North West, she moved to rural Suffolk in 2010 and has spent the past decade building and managing businesses in entrepreneurial environments. She is the Director of CraftPatch Ltd, which she has successfully grown alongside raising her two children. Alongside her work with MORABE, Caroline has chaired her local primary school PTA and volunteered extensively within her parish, reflecting her long-standing commitment to strengthening rural communities.

Caroline leads MORABE's community engagement and evaluation work, supporting the delivery of the charity's schools and community programmes while ensuring the impact of its work is effectively captured and communicated. She plays a key role in coordinating community programmes, developing partnerships, supporting volunteers and gathering the evidence that demonstrates MORABE's impact to funders and stakeholders.

Caroline's involvement with MORABE began as a parent, having witnessed first-hand the transformative impact the charity had on her own child. Her lived experience of raising a family in rural Suffolk, combined with her business and community leadership experience, brings invaluable insight to the organisation's work. Her appointment reflects MORABE's commitment to developing talent from within the communities it serves and building a sustainable, community-rooted workforce to support the charity's long-term growth.

Lee Pinnington is MORABE Rural Music's Finance Volunteer. He brings extensive experience across finance, management accounting and financial systems, with particular expertise in financial reporting, forecasting, systems implementation and process improvement. A qualified and certified Xero Advisor in both accounting and payroll, Lee has held senior finance and systems roles with organisations including Amey, NCO Europe and VolkerWessels UK.

Throughout his career, Lee has led finance system implementations and organisational change programmes, developing robust financial reporting processes and supporting businesses through complex systems migrations. His experience spans both large commercial organisations and small businesses, combining strategic financial oversight with practical operational expertise.

At MORABE, Lee oversees the development of the charity's financial systems, reporting and financial controls, helping to ensure strong governance, transparency and accountability as the organisation grows. His expertise supports the Board and senior leadership team in maintaining sound financial management while strengthening the systems and processes needed to support MORABE's long-term sustainability.

As a small charity, MORABE is enormously grateful for Lee's voluntary contribution. Access to this level of professional financial expertise has been transformational, enabling the organisation to build the robust financial systems and governance needed to support its long-term growth and sustainability.