An innovative project to get young people off the streets and feed their passion for music, song writing, production and performing took place in Harrogate in November and December 2006.

The Divas and DJs programme tapped into the talent of young musicians by teaming them up with professional artists and equipment. Open to ages 8-18, the drop-in scheme enabled the Fat Boy Slims of tomorrow to produce, record and perform their creations before putting them onto a CD.

The first session took place in Starbeck on 11th and 12th November and was a roaring success. Participants thought it was a great opportunity to do something enjoyable, felt that it improved confidence and wanted to take part in more regular activities like it. The next sessions in Bilton and Fairfax took the music to new levels, producing an astounding range of work, all professionally edited onto CD and sent out to participants.

Plans are now in the pipeline for more work in this area – proving you can’t keep talent like this hidden!

For more information about future projects please call Fleur Bremner on 01423 562303
or email: Fleur@harrogate-festival.org.uk