PRS Foundation has revealed the 49 organisations that will be Talent Development Partners for 2020 – 2021.
Talent Development Partners receive a grant from the Foundation for their year-round activity. They also work closely together and with PRS Foundation to address talent pipeline gaps through joint work and signposting.
Hundreds of creators are already benefiting from the strategic partnership opportunities which have resulted from working together.
Organisations are selected because of the quality and range of opportunities on offer for music creators in their specialist field or region, the year-round impact of their work, and because of what they bring to the network.
The full list of Talent Development Partners is as follows:
- Audio Active
- Baby People
- Brighter Sound
- Bristol Music Trust
- British Underground
- Britten Sinfonia
- Café OTO
- Cheltenham Festivals
- Cryptic
- Drake Music
- Drake Music Scotland
- English Folk Dance and Song Society
- FOCUS Wales
- Forté Project
- Future Bubblers
- Generator
- Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble
- Heart n Soul
- Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
- Jazzlines
- Jazz re:freshed
- LIMF Academy
- Manchester Jazz Festival
- Mercury Musical Developments & Music Theatre Network
- Moving on Music
- Norwich Arts Centre
- Oh Yeah Music Centre
- Opera North
- Oxford Contemporary Music Festival
- Psappha
- PUNCH
- Red Note Ensemble
- Saffron Records
- Sage Gateshead
- Scottish Music Centre
- Serious
- Snape Maltings
- Sneaky Petes
- Sound and Music
- Sound Festival
- The Music Works
- The Roundhouse Trust
- The Tin Music and Arts
- The Warren Youth Project
- Tomorrow's Warriors
- Tŷ Cerdd
- Urban Development
- Wide Days
- Yorkshire Music Forum
In March 2020, PRS Foundation announced a new partnership with Youth Music, with support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, for the Talent Development Partner network. Additional funding and the support of Youth Music’s team will bring career development opportunities to young people across England, Scotland and Wales, helping to break down the barriers to the music industries which many young creatives face. This year, 12 organisations will be receiving this additional support – Café OTO, Drake Music Scotland, FOCUS Wales, Forté Project, Manchester Jazz Festival, Norwich Arts Centre, Psaphha, Tŷ Cerdd, Jazzlines, The Tin Music and Arts, LIMF Academy and Wide Days.
Joe Frankland, chief executive, PRS Foundation, said: ‘I would like to welcome the 49 organisations to this year’s Talent Development Partner network. Since the launch of this network in 2016 we have been increasingly inspired with the energy and impact that the brilliant people in each organisation have brought to this network and how important they are to the talent development pipeline for music creators across the UK and the wider music industry infrastructure. Despite facing significant COVID-19 related challenges this year, the network has been proactive in responding to the changing needs of creators and we look forward to working closely with all 49 organisations over the next 12 months.’
Matt Griffiths, chief executive, Youth Music, said: ‘Young people just starting out in the music industries are being hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic – in addition to the barriers those from low income backgrounds were already facing. We’re really pleased to partner with PRS Foundation to support the next generation of musicians. Thanks to funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, we’re able to extend our support to projects in Wales and Scotland, as well as continuing to invest in English organisations.’
For more information about Talent Development Partners, please visit the PRS Foundation website.
