Serious and Black Lives in Music Introduce Equaliser Mentorship Programme

02 October 2024 - Press release

Expanding Opportunities for Global Majority Talent in Live Sound Engineering

Barbican and Royal Albert Hall join the scheme

Applications open 7 October

SIGN UP HERE

 

Serious and Black Lives in Music (BLiM) are thrilled to announce this year’s launch of the Equaliser Mentorship Programme. The programme is a pioneering opportunity designed to develop the talents of the next generation of live sound professionals from global majority backgrounds.  This unique mentorship scheme builds on four years of partnership between Serious and BLiM, and for the first time, it will be expanding to iconic and prestigious venues the Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican. Both venues will be offering hands-on, paid work experience and mentoring within their live sound teams. 

Representation in the live sound industry is an endemic and historic issue, with significant barriers to entry for underrepresented talent. The Equaliser Mentorship Programme is a direct response to this issue, offering invaluable professional guidance, and tangible, career-shaping experience. Applications for the programme open on the 7th October HERE.

Roger Wilson, Director of Operation and Co-Founder of Black Lives in Music, says: "Black Lives in Music are thrilled about the launch of the Equaliser mentoring programme. Partnership, collaboration and advocacy underpin the rich tapestry of our work. We couldn't be more proud to maintain our valued collaboration with Serious, but equally, we're excited to be working with the Barbican and Royal Albert Hall on this project. Both, like Serious, are BLiM member organisations. This is a wonderful opportunity to build on the existing BLiM/Serious partnership and drive the narrative of meaningful change in the area of live music production."

Ope Igbinyemi, Director of Serious, says: "One of the first conversations I had with Roger was how can we get more of the Global Majority working in roles behind the scenes. We would regularly have conversations with artists of colour who would say everything was perfect, but it would be nice to see faces like theirs working backstage in sound, recording, lighting, production, stage management, the list goes on. Four years on from the conversation with BLiM the foundation for a pathway has been established which I hope will make a real difference. In front of the stage and behind it there is a place for everyone, Equaliser is just the start."

Helen Wallace, Head of Music, Barbican says: "The Barbican is delighted to be enriching this brilliant initiative from two highly-valued partners, Serious, the Barbican’s Artistic Associate, and Black Lives in Music, of which Barbican is a member. We have a strong commitment to diversifying workforce in the music industry, and especially in the areas of live sound production, for which the Barbican is justly famous. This scheme will give a young person from a Global Majority background paid hands-on experience, training and mentorship in a prestigious venue, alongside the experiences offered in the Take Five scheme. Working with high-profile artists and supportive technicians in our programme will offer valuable career development, and we look forward to building on the collaboration in future years."

Matthew Todd, Director of Programming and Engagement at Royal Albert Hall, said: “We're very proud to be a part of the Equaliser Mentorship Programme. We're determined to help redress imbalances in the live music industry; fantastic schemes like this one, which increase opportunities for young people from global majority backgrounds, are integral to that. We're really excited about working with them on the Late Night Jazz series at the Hall."

The programme will run throughout the year, giving the selected mentee a great opportunity to work with top industry professionals at the Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican, as well as at Serious’ esteemed Take Five residency in the Cotswolds.

The Royal Albert Hall and Barbican will host the mentee as part of their live sound teams, offering invaluable experience in sound engineering, technical setup, and concert production. Mentees will work alongside senior technicians, attend technical meetings, and gain practical skills in event production at live concerts, including the renowned Late Night Jazz series and the Barbican’s summer concert programming.

The mentee will also join eight jazz and improvising musicians as part of the Take Five cohort at an artistic residential in the Cotswolds for five days of workshops and music making. They will shadow the production manager, completing live sound work including microphone and backline setup and live sound mixing. They will ultimately create their own live mix of the final performance.

To be considered for the scheme, participants must be primarily based in the United Kingdom (but do not need to be a UK national), from a global majority background, have at least a year of experience in production or engineering, and available for the residency dates.  

Beyond hands-on experience, the programme provides long-term mentorship, seminars, panel discussions, and networking opportunities with influential figures across the music industry. The mentee will have the chance to work at landmark events like the EFG London Jazz Festival.