About us

Suze Pole, Co-founder and Chair

My life has been hugely influenced by the musical opportunities I was given as a young person growing up in the state school system in Northumberland. Music of all genres has sustained me through life’s ups and downs and in the last decade, since returning to playing, I have found a wonderful new musical community in the vibrant jazz scene of the Southwest. This would not have been possible without the fantastic free music teaching I benefitted from in my youth. I am passionate about redressing the lack of opportunity in arts education available to children today.

Sebastian Pole, Co-founder

As a herbalist my life is focused on sharing the transformational benefits of herbalism. I am particularly interested in the connection between plants, food, health and farming. I’ve spent the last 20 years pioneering sustainable and organic herbal value chains with Pukka Herbs, writing and in clinical practice.

In line with our focus on education at Earthsong, I have been working on establishing Herbal Reality as an online platform to share insights into the herbal tradition. I am passionate about promoting biodiversity and have recently set up Earthsong Seeds, an organic medicinal seed nursery in the South West.

My other roles include Pukka’s Board and Mission Council, being a trustee of The Fair Wild Foundation, The Herbal Alliance and the Betonica School of Medicine, and sitting on the Advisory Board of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and the American Botanical Council Sustainable Herbs Program.

Rosa Corbishley

After training as a singer in Australia I have worked in senior leadership roles, as a fundraiser and marketeer, at a number of significant cultural organisations: such as Bristol Beacon, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Royal Northern College of Music and others. I have been in my current role as Development Director at Bristol Beacon for 10 years where I lead on both Fundraising and Sustainability. I am really excited to bring my experience to my role as Earthsong Trustee and am passionate about the music and environmental work Earthsong seeks to promote and develop.

Tad Korbusz

Music and the Natural environment have played an integral part in my life since my teenage years.

I started my working life in the building industry as a draughtsman alongside working in the music industry, which eventually became full time in an artist management capacity.

In 2000 I studied Permaculture and Sustainable land use, attaining an MSc in Advanced Environmental and Energy studies. I ran Environmental Energy consultancy for 10 years until setting out to build my own passive house which is now nearing completion.

I am excited to be working with Earthsong helping it achieve its goals and increasing its reach.

Philip Raby

The book that had the most impact on me in recent years is Wilding by Isabella Tree, an account of how she and her husband turned a 4,500 farm into the best UK example of what happens when nature is allowed to take care of itself via a large-scale ecosystem.

I have been aware of the issues surrounding climate change for some years and have read far too many books on the subject, but Wilding gave me a sense of a specific direction that seemed to tick a lot of boxes, and to be achievable in the medium term, without major technological fixes.

I spent 8 years in a whole food coop, before starting my own business renting films, which lasted for 25 years. I also managed a timber yard 15 years ago.

Being a trustee of Earthsong is a great privilege, and my hope is that we can put time, energy and money into specific projects that will go some small way towards the redressing the imbalance of power that currently exists between humanity and all other life of earth.