Music charity to amplify stories of region’s emerging female artists
B:Music, the music charity responsible for Birmingham’s Town Hall and Symphony Hall, has announced a new creative project which is set to shape the future of music and empower women to carve out lasting careers in a field that has long been disproportionately dominated by men.
She:Music will amplify the powerful stories of emerging female musicians from the West Midlands, igniting genres where women’s presence is most underrepresented and unleash a bold, new wave of talent.
She:Music aims to promote cross-genre collaborations and break down the barriers that women, especially those from the global majority, working mothers, and those from the LGBTQIA+ community, face in creating innovative, genre-defying music.
Focusing on far more than just composition, this dynamic initiative will empower participants to confidently challenge the status quo, advocating for their voices and needs, while collaborating with male musicians and technicians, and by pushing boundaries and amplifying their presence in the music industry.
With initial funding from the PRS Foundation and the William A Cadbury Charitable Trust, B:Music has brought on board project partners Girl Grind UK and Women in Jazz to collaborate on the three-year project.
During that time, the participants will take part in a number of varying events including specialist workshops in key skills such as management, accountancy and promotion, to performance and networking opportunities.
The She:Music initiative launched last Friday with Piera Onacko performing at B:Music’s ever popular Free Jazz Fridays in the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space at Symphony Hall.
Piera Onacko is a Birmingham-based pianist, synth player and composer with deep roots in jazz practices and an interest in improvisation through live electronics.
She studied at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and has had a long relationship with B:Music’s talent development programmes, having been involved in the organisation’s summer schools, B:Music Commissions, and playing on the B:Music stage at the Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival.
Lucy-Ellen Parker, talent development and education manager at B:Music, said: “The idea behind She:Music is ultimately to create a network of young, fresh, emerging talent, showcasing women in music- not just on stage, but behind the scenes, too.
“We are specifically targeting women in the Jazz, Heavy Hetal & Rock genres of music, and those wanting to be involved in technical roles. These are particularly underrepresented groups, with Heavy Metal & Rock being the musical genre with the lowest level of female participation in the UK.
“Over the next three years, myself and the rest of the team at B:Music and our fantastic project partners can’t wait to provide performance platforms for women in these genres.”
Namywa (pictured), founder of Girl Grind UK, one of the project partners for She:Music, said: "The She:Music initiative is groundbreaking and intrinsically aligned with our values (bold, courageous, free, and honest) and our founding mission rooted in amplifying the voices of culturally diverse women and gender-expanding people in music.
“Working in partnership with B:Music is an incredible experience as it allows us to champion talented, underrepresented voices in the industry and create opportunities that empower individuals to thrive.
“Girl Grind UK is proud to be part of a project that nurtures creativity and fosters lasting change within the music ecology in the West Midlands."
Applications to take part in the first year of She:Music will open in April. Click here for more information or email shemusic@bmusic.co.uk
