“Growing up in Cumbria, opportunities to experience live music weren’t ample but I picked up the saxophone at the Barracudas Carnival Arts Centre aged seven and I was hooked. It was a place that embraced anyone who wanted to be part of dance, music or stilt-walking. Music is a living, breathing art form and, often, once experienced never forgotten. Letting young people be the music is often an ideal starting point​.As with sport, the ecosystem of our community relies on music being supported at every level – from local choirs and county orchestras to symphony orchestras and brass bands. In a fragmented world, we need these musical spaces to allow communities to come together with a shared mission and so nurture the audiences of tomorrow.”

Jess Gillam, saxophonist and broadcaster