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Young Leicester music artists receive support from Leicester Music Board and Leicestershire Music members at Riverside Festival
This year’s Riverside Festival, produced by Leicester City Council, will be showcasing some emerging young talent from across the city on the ‘Leics Introducing’ stage on Sunday 8th June, with support from members of Leicester Music Board and Leicestershire Music.
Greg Aiello, PPL PRS Managing Director and Sarah Barton-Wales, Head of Leicestershire Music are championing the talented young musicians who are based within the city curating a line-up for the popular festival which is taking place on 7th and 8th June.
One such young person is Grace. Aged just 17, Grace’s journey with music has been truly transformative. Whilst still at school in Year 9 she auditioned for a school performance, where it was clear that she had remarkable musical potential.
Grace was accepted into the show, and that marked the beginning of her involvement in music.
With an unsettled background, being raised by her older sister, Grace had spent a lot of time trying to be invisible and had struggled to make friends. With a small amount of funding left over from a school concert, she was awarded a music scholarship, which allowed her to start singing lessons with her school singing coach, Lisa Millet.
Grace attended workshops and participated in as many opportunities as possible including the Purcell School workshop and the National Youth Jazz Collective taster session in Leicester, where she impressed with her potential. Over time, Grace’s confidence grew. She began leading the singing club, conducting and helping less confident students in school concerts. Music provided her with a place where she truly belonged.
She became a role model for younger singers, encouraging them to perform with confidence, regardless of whether they liked the song. Grace’s leadership and supportive nature had a positive impact on her peers.
As Grace began experimenting with songwriting, she moved on to piano lessons with Mike Sole, piano teacher based at her school. She borrowed a keyboard and worked tirelessly to develop her skills. Her understanding of song structure, jazz chords, and her talent for songwriting is truly exceptional. Writing lyrics to express herself has become a powerful way for Grace to communicate her emotions, and she has excelled in this area.
Grace has taken part in National Young Sounds UK opportunities, attended the Leicestershire Music ‘Leics Connect’ careers mentoring sessions, performed at Open Mic nights and at the Leicester Music Board Young Person’s Careers conference. Her original songs have left professional musicians in awe and she is just growing in confidence all the time.
Grace is thrilled to be performing at this year’s Riverside Festival as part of the ‘Leics Introducing’ stage alongside her peers.
What's on at Riverside?
Riverside Festival is a family-friendly event held each year in Bede Park, along the canal side of the River Soar, Castle Gardens and within the DMU Campus. The festival is spread across two days, Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th June, with an array of events and activities to entertain visitors of all ages.
Events include dragonboat racing, arts and crafts, face painting, fair rides, exhibitions, live history and of course live music.
The main piazza on Bede Park will play host to live music across the whole weekend with acts from HQ Recording, 2Funky Arts and new for 2025 Soft Touch Arts Leics Introducing.
The festival is free to attend and is one of Leicester’s biggest festivals, attracting over 40,000 visitors to the city.
Speaking about the support Leicester Music Board is providing for young artists in the city, Greg Aiello said: One of the things I love about Leicester is the amazing mix of events that take place every year. When they do something, they do it well, and Riverside Festival is no exception. Having the’ Leics Introducing’, in partnership with Leicestershire Music, segment making its debut this year, this is a fantastic opportunity for everyone attending to hear some of the exciting new talent that we have here. Supporting the connection between education and music, as well as championing the talented young performers in the area is one of the reasons why Leicester Music Board was formed last year, and we are proud to be able to support them on their journey as they continue their music careers.
Sarah Barton-Wales also commented: ‘Being part of the Leicester Music Board has really enabled much stronger links between music education and the music industry within Leicester. Young people told us they wanted somewhere to perform and meet other young artists, and Riverside is the perfect platform for that. A real-life experience amongst peers and supportive industry professionals, we’re thrilled to be able to give Grace and many others the opportunity to perform and know it is just the start of many ‘Leics Introducing’ opportunities and collaborations as part of LMB’
Graham Callister, Head of Festivals, Events and Cultural Policy at Leicester City Council added: “Riverside Festival is fast becoming Leicester’s largest free festival, attracting thousands of visitors to the city, and this year it’s bigger and better than ever thanks to our partnership with De Montfort University.
Riverside Festival is a great example of a festival that has something for everyone and we’re looking forward to welcoming audiences with a great food, arts/crafts, and entertainment offer. A central part to this is the Riverside Music Stage which every year provides a platform to promote some of the cities amazing young and established talents programmed with our partners on Leicester Music Board.
We have huge ambition for Riverside Festival and our city’s creative talents will play a leading part in its future growth and development.”
Find out more about Riverside Festival, and when you can hear Grace and the other young people who are performing for ‘Leics Introducing’ here.
Author
Alexandra Carr
Alexandra Carr is a Member of The Chartered Institute of Public Relations and has worked in communications roles for over 20 years. Prior to her current position she worked for The Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (UK) and Transport for London. Alexandra joined PPL PRS as PR & Communications Manager in December 2017, bringing together her love of writing and music.
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