An Audience With... Camilla George & Carducci Quartet

Across 2024 we are releasing An Audience With… a series of youth-led video interviews with music industry professionals. The first two interviews with musicians and performers Camilla George and Carducci Quartet are both live on our YouTube channel. More will be released throughout the year.

An Audience With… is an interactive youth led experience for schools, allowing children and young people to take the lead on planning and creating content and an opportunity to interact and interview music industry professionals and performers. This project has been made in partnership with Turner Sims.

It is a fantastic vehicle for bringing the music industry into the classroom, inspiring pupils to work within our industry and developing aspirations for the future. This project has been specifically created to support teachers and young people to understand more about the many roles and pathways into the music industry.

Camilla George is a visionary saxophonist, composer, bandleader and innovator. She answers questions about working in the music industry from Southampton Music Hub's next generation of jazz musicians. Camilla's strong cultural roots and love of fusing African and Western Music has informed her own unique style. Her music is a hypnotising blend of Afrofuturism, hip hop and jazz. 

Carducci Quartet is an award-winning string quartet, internationally acclaimed as one of the most accomplished and versatile ensembles of today. Young musicians from Elgar Strings get their questions answered by professional musicians from the world renowned Carducci String Quartet.

Hannah Buckingham
Rising Stars Open Mic Night featured on BBC South Today

The Stage Door 'Rising Stars' Open Mic Night was featured on BBC South Today!

Take a look at the feature to see clips of performances and hear from young musicians, the community, The Stage Doors’ Julianne Watling-Mccarthy and Southampton Music Hub’s Nia Collins on why creating a safe space for young people to perform their music is so valuable.

‘It really makes me so happy that I can make people feel the same way I do when I’m on the stage.’

- A Young Musician

You can watch the video clip on our YouTube channel.

Hannah Buckingham
Schools Christmas Concert at O2 Guildhall Southampton
Hannah BuckinghamGirls Make Music
Girls Make Music Returns for 2024!

Southampton Music Hub is offering a second round of Girls Make Music, a music production club aimed at providing young women and girls access to making music in an exciting, creative space at MAST Studios.

The club is an environment to experiment with recording, singing, playing instruments, using music creation software (Logic, Abelton, Bandlab etc.) and any other musical interests they may have! We encourage exploration and collaboration with other young female creatives and want to foster a climate of diversity and inclusion.

The club is open to all young women within the age range regardless of their musical experience, whether they are just starting out on their musical journey or whether they’re well on their way!

The age range is split into two groups to ensure a comfortable creative environment for all participants, Group 1 is 11 - 15 year olds and Group 2 is 16 - 21 year olds. Each group meets monthly, and the dates are available here.

Girls Make Music is part of our DNA programme and is being enabled by funding from Youth Music, awarded to the South West Coastal Hub Alliance.

Hannah BuckinghamGirls Make Music
Young Southampton: Project Coordinator Role Available

Young Southampton are looking for a project coordinator to support our UK Shared Prosperity project in engaging with children and young people on locality bases through youth led, co-created social action projects. 

Young Southampton is happy to confirm that both individuals and organisations can apply for this role, if you are an organisation applying for the role, please do confirm who will be responsible for project coordination

If you have questions about the project or the role, please contact info@youngsouthampton.org.uk.

Matt Brombley
Open Mic Nights at The Stage Door
Open Mic Nights at The Stage Door

Southampton Music Hub is partnering with The Stage Door and J Fashole-Luke from Golden Groove Productions to bring a series of open mic nights to the city for young musicians to participate in! 

Each night will feature a house band of local musicians with a wide variety of styles, genres and instruments who will host and support young people to participate and encourage playing together. Young musicians of all abilities, genres, styles and instruments (including digital artists and producers) are all welcome to use this regular event as a platform to share their music and to start to make links with the local music industry scene.

Matt Brombley
Embedding The Inclusive Mindset — Online Conference Programme

The South West Music Hubs have been working together to produce an online programme of content around the theme of “Embedding the Inclusive Mindset”.

On Monday 8 January 2024, the conference launches with two videos from the Youth Voice Network, which also include downloadable audio podcast versions.

Matt Brombley, Chair of the EDI Working Group, shares:

“We want to provide a place where music leaders, teachers and young people can share their experiences of embedding inclusive practice with others, so that across the south west region, we can all learn from each other, and young people themselves, as we work towards making music education more inclusive.

We want the videos shared to be the start of a conversation, and each area in the region will be sharing content with their music education workforce in ways which work for them, encouraging them to learn from others, and share their response back in Spring/Summer 2024.”

The aims for this programme are:

  • To improve the workforces’ skills, knowledge, understanding, and confidence in engaging, and responding to, the voices of young people

  • To improve equality, diversity and inclusion practices in participating Music Education Hubs

This work is being enabled by funding from Youth Music, awarded to the South West Coastal Hub Alliance.

Matt BrombleyInclusion
Festive Ensemble Performances
Festive Ensemble Performances

As we approach the festive season it is always a very busy time for the Southampton Music Services ensembles. Almost all of the ensembles have performed over the last few weeks — some more than once.  With many young musicians in more than one ensemble the players have been incredibly busy, as have their parents and carers ensuring they get to the right venue at the right time.

"The standard of playing from our ensembles over the last couple of weeks has been simply incredible.  Many of our youngest players have bravely fought off immense levels of nervousness to give their very first performance outside of their school whilst our more advanced players have given performances professionals would have been proud of. Each and everyone should be congratulated on their achievements. What has come through the most is the enjoyment and enthusiasm for their music making" — Zoe Hunting, Ensemble Manager

EnsemblesMatt Brombley
Young people perform and share their perspectives at Music Mark Conference

On Tuesday 28 November 2023, four young people from Southampton took to the main stage in the ballroom at the Ageas Bowl to share music and a presentation at the national Music Mark Conference for music educators.

Lorenza opened the conference with a performance of an original song she wrote and produced, and was followed by rapper Tommy T.

To explore the theme of “Who’s music education is it anyway?” Lorenza was joined by Carla and Sukhi in a panel discussion with Matt Brombley (Development and Inclusion Manager for Southampton and IOW Music Hub) and Sarah Mcwyatt (NYMAZ). The presentation also included a special video appearance from Ben (a young music journalist from NYMAZ) who answered questions from Carla.

The panel got to explore a range of themes, including:

  • the importance of giving young people more choice

  • making music education more relevant, reflective and representative

  • empowering young people with a wide range of skills and experiences

The session was part of our Youth Voice Network project, kindly funded by Youth Music.

Later on in the day, Nia Collins (Southampton and IOW Music Hub) and rap artist Rob Bradley also go to share the impact of the Rap and Literacy project, kindly funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Alongside a panel of other innovative rap and hip hop initiatives such as Spit Game, Future Music Makers and Kenny Baraka a discussion about the importance of relevency and authenticity in the music curriculum and as a progression pathway for young people is so important.

Matt BrombleyYouth Voice, Music Mark
Hub Inclusion Lead awarded Arts Council funding for collaborative, experimental music research
Hub Inclusion Lead awarded Arts Council funding for collaborative, experimental music research

Photo taken at Turner Sims Southampton by Nosa Malcolm

Inclusion Lead for Southampton and IOW Music Hub, Matt Brombley, has been awarded funding by Arts Council England to take part in and research experimental musical collaborations over the next nine months. 

Matt will learn from Peter Weigold (the Musical Director of The Third Orchestra and a pioneer of orchestral improvisation) and then bring his own electronic music together with musicians from different musical backgrounds: creating, improvising, live-streaming and recording two new pieces of music together. 

The music will explore ideas of belonging: to ourselves, to each other, and to the natural world which sustains us. The project also aims to more deeply understand how musicians can come together from different backgrounds and traditions. 

Matt says: “I’m delighted that Arts Council England have invested in my work at this exciting moment. Having worked with The Third Orchestra (thanks to Turner Sims and Orchestras Live) in March this year, I am excited to develop my ability to lead musical collaborations across genre, culture and form. I cannot wait to share the music we create together as live-streams and recordings, as well as sharing what I learn along the way as published action research.”

Matt Brombley
Young musicians: get the support you need to succeed this September and beyond
Young musicians: get the support you need to succeed this September and beyond

Young musicians: you can get the support you need to succeed this September and beyond thanks to Southampton Music Hub.

We have four, free, open-access offers this year:

  • Music Production Collective
    Monthly sessions for beat-makers, producers and songwriters to collaborate. Ages 11–18.

  • Girls Make Music
    Monthly sessions for girls to explore music production, songwriting and live events. Ages 11–18.

  • FLOW
    Saturday rap group sessions to tighten your rhythms, sharpen your rhymes, and improve your flow. Ages 11–16.

  • Mix’zine
    A connected community for music, events and support: created by young people for young people. Ages 13–25.

There’s also:

All part of Southampton Music Hub’s exciting Digital Native Artists programme!

Matt Brombley
Young people take the lead: looking back on 2022–23
Young people take the lead: looking back on 2022–23

If there has been one theme across the past year of music at Southampton and IOW Music Hubs, it’s been Children and Young People taking the lead. Over the past year, we’ve seen young people using their musical talents to give back to their communities as well as shaping and leading the music-making opportunities available to them.

From Girls Make Music, to Concerts, to festivals, to Rap, to showcases, to new funding for young people, to a youth-led music zine and more, this year has been all about young people taking the lead.

As the team take a break over the summer holiday, we recommend checking out some news stories from this year and looking at some of the groups and support opportunities picking back up in September,

Matt Brombley
Looking back on a year of ensemble concerts
Looking back on a year of ensemble concerts

Over the past year, nearly 400 young musicians have taken part in 35 ensemble performances — that's almost one concert each week.

Performances have included two world premiers of pieces written by two budding Southampton composers, performances by the youngest players some of whom have been playing less than a year through to blockbuster performances at prestigious venues like MAST Studios and Southampton Guildhall. The programmes have included popular classics, hits from stage and screen, traditional pieces through to modern pieces like Venables, Dutch Courage where players are given the shape of the music and they decide how to interpret this through to the rarely performed Tolga Kashif's Queen Symphony calling for a large orchestra and choir. Performances throughout the year have been exemplary.

"That was epic" - performer

"I was so scared, but I did it and now I'm proud of myself" - performer

"Throughout the year there has been awesome work from all of Southampton's young musicians and the ensemble staff and volunteers. The quality of performing from our groups is simply staggering, at times it is hard to believe those taking part are still at school or college. We are so proud of each and everyone of our performers" Zoe Hunting, Ensemble Manager

Matt Brombley
Youth Folk Takeover
Youth Folk Takeover

On Saturday 1 July, the FolkActive Youth Ensemble set off for London's Cecil Sharp House to take part in the Youth Folk Takeover: an eagerly anticipated celebration of youth folk music, hosted by the English Folk Dance and Song Society. Alongside the London Youth Folk Ensemble and other talented friends, these young musicians showcased their passion and skill, and made themselves, FolkActive, and Southampton Music Hub proud.
Ensemble members Hannah and Cate had this to say about the day:

The Takeover was amazing. We performed a concert set during the break of the ceilidh, allowing the dancers to get their breath back, which was so great. The other ensembles were really supportive and fun, it was such a great atmosphere. Cecil Sharp House is a centre for all folk throughout England, as the EFDSS are based there and so there was lots of folk-music-based artwork, as well as the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, a massive library of folk songs and tunes. The highlight of our day was the massed ensemble piece at the end of the concert. Camilo Menjura, a tutor from the London Youth Folk Ensemble led it and did a fantastic job of bringing all the different groups together. We created a beautiful soundscape including some improvised solos, which were incredible and truly showcased the amount of young talent we were working with. We loved it!

Matt Brombley
Solent Shanty Sing

The Solent Shanty Sing project continued last week with performances taking place at Weston Shore on Wednesday 14th June and two performances on Friday 16th June

Singing groups from Weston Park Junior School and St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School joined us at Weston Shore on Wednesday 14th with lots of parents and family as we sang the Southampton Sea shanties and songs that were composed with ideas from the children out to the sea.

On Friday 16th at West Quay we set up in front of the walls and ran two workshop performances in the sometimes punishing heat!  The afternoon session saw Mount Pleasant Junior School, Freemantle Primary, Highfield Infants and St John’s Primary take part with a large audience sitting in the steps enjoying the performances of shanties from the songbook.

After school we hosting another performance which featured three primary schools from the Hamwic Trust – Wordsworth, Hollybrook and Shirley Infant and Primary schools.  The music leads in these schools have been using the whole songbook as a resource for their singing assemblies throughout the year so they had selected some songs from the other regions involved in the commission (Isle of Wight, Hampshire and Portsmouth).  

All the groups were all entertained prior to the event by the fantastic Southampton Salty Sea Dogs lead by Pauline McWilliams.

Miranda Boakes-Clark Teacher and Music Lead Shirley & Hollybrook Infants
“The children absolutely LOVED doing it. I think it was really special being down at the city walls and something they’ll always remember ...it’s so lovely to collaborate and make special things happen for our children.”

Friday 23rd June saw the final event of the Solent Shanty Sing Project which has run throughout this academic year in celebration of Year of the Coast 2023 and in partnership between Southampton, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth Music Hubs. This event was particularly special as it was the first time that children from all of the participating music hub areas had come together to sing!

The event took place at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard which was the ideal setting, with it’s rich maritime history and incredible wealth of heritage sites and attractions to visit. 200 children from each hub area (800 in total) were treated to an entire day of visiting the attractions such as HMS Warrior, the Mary Rose Museum and Portsmouth Hub’s specially created treasure trail, before being treated to an incredible display from the Royal Marines Marching Band and a massed sing of the Shanty Songbook.

Musicians from Folk Active, Southampton Salty Sea Dogs, Hampshire Music Hub and the English Folk Dance and Song Society were also present throughout the day providing live music for the children to listen to and enjoy as well as providing live music for them to sing with during their performance.

The children sang all the pieces from the songbook the 4 music hubs jointly commissioned for this project from composer and sound artist Emily Peasgood plus two extra arranged by Chris Ricketts. Each hub area choir had two songs to sing on their own which were shanties originally collected in their regions or newly composed songs based on ideas from workshops the children took part in the Autumn term. All 800 voices joined together for the three joint songs during the programme to a large audience in the square outside the Mary Rose Museum to an audience of parents, families, VIPs and spectators.

Mel Thomas (Teacher St Patrick’s Primary School Southampton)

“….the best event our school choir has had the opportunity to take part in! Thank you for inviting us to be part of such a wonderful event. It has given the children great memories that will stay with them and it has really encouraged their love for singing, music and performing in a choir. The impact the day has had on them was great.”

On Pupil from St Patrick’s said:

“I just don’t know how I’m going to describe to my parents everything I’ve seen and done today!”

Music in the Community, Music in SchoolsMatt BrombleyHub Partners, Stadium Tour
From the IOW: Solent Shanty Sing at Ventnor Botanic Gardens
From the IOW: Solent Shanty Sing at Ventnor Botanic Gardens

On Friday 9 June 2023, 850 children from 14 schools across the island gathered together for the culmination of the Isle of Wight Solent Shanty Sing Project to perform together en masse and kick start a brand new walking festival celebrating the Heritage Coastline and Year of the Coast 2023! A mixture of children from Year 1 right up to Year 11 participated along with students from SEND settings.


Children arrived in staggered groups from 11am onwards and were treated to fantastic performances by local shanty groups the SHEshells and The Brighstone Barnacles while the sheer volume of pupils got into position.  The New Carnival Company provided some beautiful flags and decoration for the space in the already stunning setting of Ventnor Botanic Gardens in full summer bloom.

The children sang a mixture of songs from a songbook commissioned by the music hub, composed a curated by Emily Peasgood and featured some original sea shanties collected on the Isle of Wight plus songs written with input from children taking part in the project. The event finished with a song written especially by Jo Downs about the Heritage Coastline on the island and everyone gave a loud countdown to start the first group of walkers taking part in the walking festival.  The walking event was organised by Creative Ways Outdoors, New Carnival Company and the IOW Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty trust who provided certificates to all the young people who took part in the project to take home with them. 

This huge scale partnership project continues over the next few weeks with further performances taking place in Weston Shore, West Quay and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard where 4 music hubs; Southampton, Isle of Wight, Hampshire and Portsmouth will all come together!

Photo credit Tracy Curtis and New Carnival Company

Nia Collins Event Organiser, says:

“What has been so fantastic about this project has been the level of collaboration and partnership that has brought this project together between cultural organisations (such as New Carnival Company and Creative Ways Outdoors) and local organisations (IOW AONB and Ventnor Botanic Gardens) right down to the children taking part writing their own parts of the songs we sang today. The Classic Boat Museum in Cowes even created a lesson plan resource especially for the project which has been shared with all the music hubs taking part in the wider regional project.  

I have learned lots of things about the island’s unique geography and rich maritime history through this project and I’m certain that the young people participating have as well, all while we have been supporting schools and teachers to keep the magic of singing alive for children and young people!”

Music in SchoolsMatt BrombleyIOW