Sofia Jones- a sharing at a conference in Nottingham

In September, Sofia Jones shared her research at the Cultural Heritage Conference 2.0 at the University of Nottingham, which brought together people working across heritage, performance, conservation and cultural practice. The event focused on building bridges between disciplines, and Sofia’s session sat right in the middle of that conversation. Sofia used a live demonstration to walk delegates through the practical, embodied labour of backing vocalists, especially in the tribute world and to show how small, real‑time decisions about blend, timbre, movement, and ensemble judgement shape authenticity and cultural memory.

What became clear through the discussion afterwards was just how invisible this work is to those outside the industry, and how little of it is documented, particularly when it comes to Black female backing vocalists. Those conversations helped Sofia refine the project’s framing around intangible heritage and the cultural value of ensemble labour.

Her project, Backing the Bridge, draws on thirty‑five years of professional experience and sits at the intersection of performance, heritage and cultural value, which are all central to PRG’s ongoing work.