Up and coming musicians from Buckinghamshire urged to apply for new nurturing talent programme

The ALSO Festival, which takes place from 11-13th July in Compton Verney is inviting applications from people in Buckinghamshire for its new ‘Future Music’ programme and its new ‘Women in Sound’ initiative.

Supported by Arts Council England, these initiatives will provide performance opportunities, industry mentorship, and hands-on festival experience to help emerging talent break into the music scene.

There are 12 places available for the ‘Future Music’ programme which aims to support a diverse range of grassroots and early careers bands, duos and solo UK artists who are over 18. Those who get on the course will benefit from: -

• development workshops run by industry professionals
• marketing and promotion
• help adapting performance for outdoor events
• an in-festival networking event
• paid for travel and accommodation

ALSO’s Head of Music, Joe Porn, added: "We know grassroots artists are facing fewer opportunities than ever. We’re here to change that – giving them the support, confidence, and industry connections to thrive.

“Whether you’re an emerging musician or a budding sound engineer, this programme will give you real experience and a platform to showcase your talent."

Those on the ‘Future Music’ course will get to learn from Juliet Russell – vocal coach on The Voice who will be running the grassroots artists development creative workshops.

Juliet said; “As a music creative and mentor, one of my key passions is collaborating with and supporting emerging artists to ignite their vocal and stage performances - creating something truly moving and memorable.

“ALSO’s grassroots music programme gives early career artists the opportunity to develop their performance skills, showreel and marketing with professional support ready for the summer festival stage.”

There are six places to be filled on the ‘Women in Sound‘ course. Those on the programme will receive: -

• a practical, skills-based weekend workshop with industry professionals, where all artists will be paid with expenses covered
• experience of the festival environment and a paid session working with professional artists
• an in-festival mentor
• lunch, travel and expenses covered
• accommodation for those travelling from outside the Midlands

To date, the sound technician industry is heavily male dominated, with only around 5% of audio engineers female. Women often face challenges like gender bias, lack of visibility, and limited access to mentorship opportunities within the field.

The organisers behind ALSO Festival want to encourage more women into pursuing careers in sound engineering.

ALSO’s Founder & CEO, Diccon Towns, said; "The world of sound engineering has long been a male-dominated space, especially in live events. This programme aims to shift the balance a bit, at the same time offering six people a fun and interactive environment to learn and experiment in a real-world setting.

“We’ll be covering all aspects of engineering a live show, from setting up the stage to monitoring the final output and, with a paid session engineering a sound stage at ALSO included, it comes with a great opportunity to put knowledge into practice.”

Over six months, the 12 early-career artists and 6 technicians will work with experts to refine their skills, culminating in the musicians being paid to play a live gig at ALSO 25 - with the sound engineers helping deliver sound at the festival.

How to Apply

Artists & bands: Apply for ALSO Future Musichttps://forms.gle/saq76EfAiymxUoeQ8

Women In Sound applicants: Apply herehttps://forms.gle/MNdkCjc3fYv7TcRD8

The deadline to apply is Friday 28th March 2025 at 23:59 and all applicants need to be UK based.