Brass Bands England (BBE) has announced the list of five acclaimed artists that will participate in its collaborative 'Elevate' programme.

The 9-month long initiative has been designed to bring together brass bands and artistic talent to create and learn together and will see BBE member bands who are looking to challenge their normal performance practice being paired with an artist who will support their explorations of new ideas, genres and ways of working in a new way.

Artists

The artists to be involved are theatre/film director and musician Jamie Fletcher as well as the classical Indian vocalist and harpist pairing, Sonic Threads Duo.

The theatre maker Josh Coates is joined by Rebecca Denniff, the multi-instrumentalist, synthesisers, composer, as well as composer, documentary maker and sound artist Calum Perrin.

Explore

Speaking about the initiative, BBE's CEO Kenny Crookston said: "The Elevate programme is a key element of our Arts Council England-funded activity from 2023 to 2026.

This is an opportunity for brass bands of all levels to step out of their comfort zone and explore new ideas with an acclaimed artist, supported by the Brass Bands England team."

He added: "It's great to see such a range of talented artists who have expressed their enthusiasm for working with brass bands. We deliberately kept the definition of 'artist' broad to allow for opportunities for creative individuals from a range of disciplines and backgrounds to work on the project.

This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for bands and artists to create something truly unique and innovative."

This is an opportunity for brass bands of all levels to step out of their comfort zone and explore new ideas with an acclaimed artist, supported by the Brass Bands England teamBBE CEO, Kenny Crookston

More information and apply

More information on the artists who your band can collaborate with is available on the BBE website's Elevate page.

https://www.bbe.org.uk/elevate

Applications for brass bands to participate are open until Monday 17th July.

More information:

If you have any questions about the programme, you can register for the Q&A Zoom session on Monday 10th July 2023, or email elevate@bbe.org.uk

This session will be recorded for anyone who is unable to attend live.