Talented young musicians from schools across West Sussex are being offered the chance to swap the classroom for a real festival stage as part of this year’s Midhurst Jazz, Food & Blues Festival.
Organisers are searching for a student band to join the line-up at the four-day festival, taking place from Thursday 19th to Sunday 22nd November. Bands will be asked to submit a video showcasing their performance, with one selected to take to the stage during the event.
The opportunity comes at a time when access to grassroots music opportunities is under increasing pressure. With more than 33,500 young people on waiting lists and 37% of grassroots projects considering closure, access to the mentoring, performance opportunities and creative spaces that can help launch music careers is increasingly out of reach.
Festival Director Adam Page said: “There is some fantastic young musical talent in schools across West Sussex and we want to give those musicians an opportunity they might not otherwise get – the chance to perform on a real festival stage in front of a live audience.
“We’re looking for a band that can really bring something to the festival. We want to see a high standard of performance, but most importantly we’d encourage schools to get their students together, choose something they enjoy playing and send us a video showing us what they can do.”
School teachers and family members are being encouraged to help put forward talented young musicians by submitting a video of them performing by 2nd of October.
Entries are open to musicians aged 16 and over, performing jazz, blues or related genres in keeping with the festival’s musical programme. If selected to perform at the festival, any musicians aged 16 or 17 must be accompanied by an adult on the day of their performance.
The initiative is designed to give emerging young musicians the rare experience of performing as part of a genuine live music festival and sharing a programme with professional artists.
Adam added: “For young musicians who are passionate about performing, being part of a genuine festival alongside established professional artists could be an incredible experience and hopefully something they remember for a very long time.”
This year’s festival will be the biggest yet, led by British jazz icon Courtney Pine alongside acts including Ronnie Scott’s Blues Explosion, The Cinelli Brothers, Errol Linton, the Brit Funk Association, Jim Mullen and a live celebration of Billy Joel’s greatest hits.
Taking place across multiple venues throughout Midhurst, the festival will also feature workshops, masterclasses, jam sessions, talks, food experiences and a wider Fringe programme.
To enter, bands should submit a video of their performance to [email protected]. The festival organisers will review the entries and select the act that will perform at this year’s festival, with the winner announced on Monday 12th October.
