Durham BRASS Festival is delighted to offer two new commissions for deaf/disabled artists for BRASS 2021 (to take place between 9-18 July 2021), and invites expressions of interest.
BRASS is an annual music festival which takes place in July and celebrates brass music in all its forms. This commission is supported by Attitude Is Everything. Attitude Is Everything improve Deaf and disabled people’s access to live music by working in partnership with venues, audiences, artists and the music industry (http://www.attitudeiseverything.org.uk)
Durham BRASS Festival
Brass music is an integral part of community life in many areas across the world, especially in the North of England.
Born out of the coalfields of Durham, the colliery band heritage of our region is still strong, and it was this tradition which inspired the creation of the BRASS Festival in 2001. Showcasing brass music in all its forms, the festival’s originality, its roots with the local brass community and Durham’s natural strengths as a festival city provide the solid foundations for the event.
BRASS features headline performances, collaborations and commissions by high-profile and international artists, which in past years have included the Fun Lovin’ Criminals, British Sea Power, Femi Kuti and Jools Holland. BRASS is proud of its international music programme, bringing together bands and musicians to play a wide range of styles and genres of brass music.
A free outdoor events programme on the streets and in the parks of Durham takes high quality cultural experiences to communities where cultural engagement is usually low, and has included a huge range of street bands from Canada, USA, Mexico, Cuba, France, Portugal and Ghana playing all genres of brass music ranging from jazz, Balkan, ska, soul and traditional brass. There is also a massive schools education programme committed to inspiring a new generation of young brass players, which in 2019 engaged over 15,000 young people.
The festival reaches into the heart of the community and warmly welcomes the rest of the world.
The Brief – what are we looking for?
Professional deaf/disabled artists who are based in the UK are encouraged to apply. We are looking for high quality work, which reaches audiences and is inspired by the festival and its programme. By ‘professional’, we mean artists who have created a high-quality body of work and/or shown and/or performed to wide audiences.
The Commission
BRASS is delighted to offer two commissions of up to £7000 (+ any access costs) each for deaf/disabled artists for our next annual festival, due to take place in July 2021. We are looking for expressions of interest which are brass music based, inspired by brass music, and/or linked to the history of brass music. It could be inspired by the vibrations of making music, or the patterns of notation. The commission should produce an output for the 2021 festival – this could be a piece of music, an online event, a performance or a live performance. So long as your proposal is inspired by brass music, we are open to all ideas!
In light of Covid-19, artists should also be prepared for their project to take place virtually/online (as a Plan B). We will work with the commissioned artists to enable a Plan B approach to be implemented if required.
Criteria
- Disability led
- High quality and ambitious
- A track record of creating work and reaching out to audiences
- Artists should be based in the UK
- Brass music based, inspired by brass and/or linked to the history of brass music
Who can apply?
We are using an inclusive definition of disability based on the Social Model of disability (https://disabilityarts.online/collections/social-model-of-disability/), which enables us to focus on disabling barriers imposed by society, embraces all physical, sensory and invisible impairments, learning disability, mental health, neurodivergent and fatigue conditions. If you identify as such, and/or have experienced access barriers, we invite you to apply.
How to Apply
An award of up to £7,000 will be made to 2 x selected artists for the creation of the work. The artist will be supported by members of the BRASS team to develop and present the work.
Applicants should send:
- A completed application form, which can be found here: google form.
- A current CV
- A brief project proposal/expression of interest (up to 200 words) – this can be in writing, by video or any other format.
- Up to 8 images or files to support your application. You may like to send these separately using a file sharing platform (ie. WeTransfer). Please send to: Kylie Lloyd, Community Arts Manager, Durham County Council on communityarts@durham.gov.uk or 07384 247 270
We are happy to receive applications in an alternative format (video, audio file). We may also be able to find other ways to make the application process more accessible to you. If you require access support to complete your application, please contact: Kylie Lloyd, Community Arts Manager, Durham County Council on communityarts@durham.gov.uk or 07384 247 270.
Any access costs you incur as an artist or practitioner should be covered by Access to Work (see FAQ’s below) if you have self-employed artist status or work as part of an organisation or company. If you do not draw an income from your work, we will work with you to meet your access costs if you are selected.
Financial support is also available to enable applicants to develop and submit their expressions of interest if required (please contact Kylie Lloyd).
If you require the brief in a different format, please contact us.
To apply, please complete the Call for Deaf/Disabled Artists Google Form. Please also see our BRASS Festival Privacy Notice
Deadline: Monday 18 January 2021, 12 noon
All applicants will be contacted by 27 January 2021.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an online interview in early February.
Appointed artists will be expected to deliver the work at BRASS 2021 between 9-18 July 2021.
Selection panel
The selection panel will consist of:
- Lorna Fulton, Co-Artistic Director, Durham Brass Festival
- Sue Collier, Co-Artistic Director, Durham Brass Festival
- Kylie Lloyd, Community Arts Manager, Durham County Council
- Rich Legate, Artist Development Manager, Attitude is Everything
FAQs
Will my access costs be covered?
Any access costs you incur as an artist or practitioner should be covered by Access to Work* if you have self-employed artist status or work as part of an organisation or company. If you do not draw an income from your work, we will work with you to meet your access costs if you are selected, please still include these figures within your project budget.
* Access to Work is a government scheme that is designed to meet the additional costs of employing a disabled person where they are directly a result of that person’s impairments. For more information go to: www.gov.uk/access-to-work/overview
Do I need to be registered disabled to apply?
No. There is no longer a register of disabled people. If you self-define or view yourself as a disabled person, then we invite you to apply. You do not need to disclose details of your disability or supply any medical evidence. For a definition of the Social Model of Disability visit the Disability Arts Online website at https://disabilityarts.online/collections/social-model-of-disability/
Printable version
For a printable version of this information, please see BRASS Disabled Artists Commission.pdf or BRASS Disabled Artists Commission.docx
Please also see our BRASS Festival Privacy Notice