The collective will present their new album at Nottingham Contemporary on Sunday 10 October...
The Circle of Light 2021 collective will perform brand new music from their upcoming album at a special one-off show for World Mental Health Day this Sunday.
Across an uplifting night of creativity and connection, Nottingham Contemporary will host young people, mentors and industry professionals as they present engaging tracks with mental wellbeing at their heart.
Funded by Youth Music, the Circle of Light project aims to bring together some of the county’s most exciting grassroots talent, provide interesting opportunities for local people and create unique content as a group.
Twelve tracks have been selected to appear on the new album, which is due for release in March next year and will be available to purchase in a digital format at the event.
For many of the young people involved in the project, this will be the first time performing these tunes on this scale. This includes 19-year-old Danny Riggz, who said: “I wanted to start my dream music career, with my skills and history in both singing and drumming.
“Joining the project helped me make new friends and began to open up a wave of new opportunities for me, as a way to slowly push me forward into the industry. I’m very happy that I joined and I’m looking forward to being part of it again next year.”
As well as the artists up on stage, the collective are fully involved in many other aspects of the event, from stage management to producing the tracks on the album.
Nottingham-born Zhante Simmons, 20, brought his skills to the project this year. He said: “I started Circle of Light to reignite my passion for music production and to get to know other like minded musicians, producers, and songwriters. I liked the aspect of a community not just for music, but for supporting young adults such as myself through our life and career journey.”
There will be a special guest performance from Mercury prize winner Soweto Kinch, who will be taking to the stage to play live with the collective, and the show will be hosted by MC Scorzayzee, who has been a key mentor to Circle of Light since it started three years ago.
The event will also see the launch of a new podcast exploring issues related to wellbeing in the arts and creative industries. The Between You And Me series has been funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and the People's Health Trust, and will begin with a discussion of the ways in which the Circle of Light project has improved participants' sense of wellbeing since they became involved.
Other highlights from the night include an industry panel put together by Heritage Sounds, which will provide an opportunity for musicians, producers, music groups, and arts and community organisations to find out more about the influence and evolution of music production techniques.
Keep up to date with the work of Circle of Light through their Facebook page.
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