Pop, grime and R&B met classical music on stage at Coventry’s Warwick Arts Centre in November, when young artists from the Changing Trax project performed with a 30-piece orchestra and a 200-strong choir.
The ‘Electric Proms’ show was hosted by local youth organisation Positive Youth Foundation (PYF), who have run Changing Trax with funding from Youth Music since 2013. The project helps young people in challenging circumstances across Coventry to access high-quality music-making opportunities.
The evening was a fantastic showcase of the talent, passion and determination of Coventry’s young people – the same young people who were at the heart of the city’s successful bid to become UK City of Culture for 2021.
A night full of highlights
The show saw twelve Changing Trax musicians (aged between 16 and 22) wow the crowd with a mix of original songs and covers of artists including Beyoncé, The Fugees and Coldplay, whose ‘Viva la Vida’ provided a memorable group encore.
The young artists were accompanied by the award-winning Armonico Consort orchestra, and a choir made up of children from five Coventry schools. The visual spectacle was completed by backing dancers and video displays. The musicianship and stagecraft on show was testament to the months of rehearsal that led up to the concert.
“It couldn’t have gone any better tonight, it’s been absolutely brilliant,” said Alvie, 20, who performed an original titled ‘Third Person’ and a cover of Terror Squad’s ‘Lean Back’.
More than 300 young people were involved in making the Electric Proms a success, including the choreography team and behind-the-scenes volunteers.
“I’m emotional that it’s over!” added Nyota, also 20, who performed ‘Kalon Kakon’, a song she composed. “If it wasn’t for the people backstage helping us out, I don’t know how it would have turned out. We’ve met so many creative people – it’s been an incredible journey.”
Georgia, 21, who opened the Electric Proms with an original song called ‘Waiting’, has been part of Changing Trax since 2013. She’s now become a mentor for other young people at PYF, as well as leading singing classes. She said:
My confidence has grown so much. I’m used to being on my own as a solo singer, so being in a group is a completely different situation. I’ve had to adapt to it, but I’ve met the most amazing people.
Four years in the making
The idea for the Electric Proms came from the Changing Trax participants themselves, when they were asked what would make them feel like they’d ‘made it’.
Susie, PYF’s Development Manager, recalls: “They all agreed that being backed by an orchestra would be a dream come true. I didn’t think the young people would’ve been interested in classical music, but everyone was in awe of the idea.”
Ahead of the concert, the Changing Trax artists were mentored by Armonico Consort’s composer-in-residence Toby Young, and worked with him to devise orchestral arrangements of their original pieces.
A platform for young people
Hosting the Electric Proms was a crowning achievement for Coventry’s young people, and Susie believes it also shows how far Changing Trax has come in a few years. “Youth Music funding has ensured that Changing Trax is no longer simply a short-term project,” she says, “it’s now embedded as a mainstay of our work. It’s providing a platform for young people, both as artists and as role models for others.”
“PYF are finding so much unearthed talent within the city of Coventry,” says Alvie. “There’s always new young people coming in, and it brings so many like-minded individuals together and keeps them positive, away from bad stuff on the streets. It’s just one big happy family and they improve so many people’s social lives.”
“Changing Trax means a lot to me because that’s when I really started to focus and realise who I was as a person and as an artist,” adds Nyota. “I’ve met people that are like my siblings now.”
Coventry: UK City of Culture 2021
The buzz created by the City of Culture bid was palpable on the night of the Electric Proms.
The extra funding to make the Electric Proms a reality came from the Coventry City of Culture Trust and the Heart of England Community Foundation, who’d met with some of the young Changing Trax artists to discuss their plans, and recognised that the time was right for an event that would celebrate Coventry’s cultural diversity and show what the city’s young people were capable of.
PYF are now an ‘Honorary Partner’ for the Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 programme, granted in recognition of their vast contribution throughout the two-year bid process. Young people from PYF performed at the bid’s launch event, appeared on regional and national TV and held seats on the City of Culture Executive Board. There was great excitement at PYF when Coventry was announced as the winner in December 2017.
Making sure young people’s voices were heard was undoubtedly one of the reasons Coventry’s bid was successful – especially since the city’s population is one of the UK’s youngest.
Youth Music would like to thank the young people and staff at Positive Youth Foundation for their help with this case study. A special thank you also goes to the National Lottery for the public funding we receive each year through Arts Council England, without which none of this amazing work would be possible.