Charity Profile: Future Talent
Future Talent operates two programmes supporting gifted young musicians from low-income backgrounds across the UK. These programmes aim to support the aspirations of the young musicians, and listen to their needs, providing a range of development opportunities such as masterclasses and workshops, one-to-one mentoring sessions with relevant and encouraging experts, and crucial performance opportunities. With over 4.2 million children living in poverty in the UK and thousands of children with exceptional musical abilities failed by society every year, Future Talent wants to achieve an equal reality where all gifted young musicians from low-income backgrounds flourish.
Future Talent’s ‘Development Programme’ nurtures musicians aged 13-18, whilst their new Junior Programme supports musicians at an earlier stage of their musical development who show potential to grow. In 2020 Future Talent successfully moved their entire programme of support online, in response to the pandemic. Their most recent Virtual Residential offered workshops, classes and lectures led by a host of educators, professional musicians, practitioners and speakers, delivering 2,500 hours of support and impact to all 94 of their young musicians. At a time when opportunities to collaborate with friends and peers are hard to come by, this space for young musicians to create, learn, and also have fun, is more valuable than ever.
Alongside these opportunities, Future Talent also provides their young musicians with financial support towards musical costs such as instrument purchase or maintenance, sheet music, tuition, or exam/audition fees. Furthermore, the charity’s Relationship Team are on hand throughout to provide guidance, advice and support to the young musicians and their families. Future Talent prides itself on its refreshing and optimistic spirit. They believe in being present to celebrate the good days and offering comfort and kindness on the bad days, with consistent and unconditional love and a door that is always open.
The charity is entering an exciting period of planned growth, beginning their ambitious expansion with a new Liverpool office in addition to their London headquarters: this permanent presence in the North of England will enable them to better reach and support young musicians in the North and beyond.
This commitment to the North is part of what drew me to select Future Talent for support by Project 48. Having lived most of my life within striking distance of London, and having more recently taken up honorary citizenship of the East Riding of Yorkshire, I am struck by the inequality of opportunity and resources available to young people in different parts of the country. My own festival in Beverley – New Paths – has always strived to play its part in redressing this balance, and one of the youngest audience members at our very first festival has since gone on to be supported by Future Talent in her own journey as a capable and exciting young musician. I have seen directly the impact of this charity’s work on her journey, and know how equally vital it is for youngsters in all the regions of the UK.
Performance opportunities created for Future Talent’s musicians have ranged from a series of Virtual Concerts during lockdown, to spectacular in-person concerts hosted at Buckingham Palace by the Duchess of Kent, who founded the charity in 2004. Having taught music herself at a primary school in East Hull for 13 years, she saw first-hand how low parental expectations, financial instability and limited guidance combined with lack of opportunities for the musically gifted child in state education meant that countless young people were missing out on a career in music. Future Talent works to break down these barriers, create opportunities and harness the power of music to transform the lives of young musicians across the UK.
