Tomorrow’s Warriors launches #IAMWARRIOR appeal
Pioneering talent development organisation Tomorrow’s Warriors launches #IAMWARRIOR annual appeal to raise £100k to keep its Learning Programme free this year
Last updated 25th Aug 2020
The jazz organisation Tomorrow’s Warriors have launched their annual appeal to help young people receive jazz tuition and mentorship.
The #IAMWARRIOR has been launched via their crowdfunding page and its stunning fundraising film, with a call for all those who love music and care about nurturing the next generation of talent to join the movement to give young jazz talent a bright future.
With the aim to raise £100,000, the #IAMWARRIOR 2020 appeal will be matched with funds from a range of trusts and foundations.
Tomorrow’s Warriors needs the help of donations to keep its acclaimed Learning Programme free for the next generation of UK Jazz musicians and keep it accessible across cultural divides and barriers, keeping the scene rich, diverse and growing from the grass roots upwards, with a particular focus on Black musicians and young women.
Free access to this programme has proved crucial in nurturing the nascent talent and early careers of so many of the most exciting UK artists currently tearing up the international jazz scene.
Tomorrow’s Warriors’ alumni include Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, Sheila Maurice-Grey, Cassie Kinoshi and Nérija, Femi Koleoso and Ezra Collective, Binker Golding, Shabaka Hutchings and Sons of Kemet, Eska, Denys Baptiste, Soweto Kinch, Zara McFarlane, Camilla George, Cherise, Nathaniel Facey and Empirical, Peter Edwards, Jason Yarde, Robert Mitchell, Byron Wallen...the list goes on.
Nubya Garcia, Jazz FM Award-winning saxophonist said “Tomorrow’s Warriors was the first place where I felt I had a place as a woman in jazz, and, crucially, as a black woman in jazz.”
As a black-founded and black-led organisation, Tomorrow’s Warriors plays a vital role within its community and the wider music industry and over three decades and has been credited with literally changing the face of UK jazz.
Bassist Gary Crosby OBE, Co-Founder & Artistic Director of Tomorrow’s Warriors said: "I know there are young people from a similar background to me who, if given the opportunities, can create great art. It is about equity and access for exceptional talent, regardless of background, the world needs to hear their music. Black lives have always mattered at Tomorrow’s Warriors and we celebrate and support black music culture and the rich cultural heritage of jazz. We are launching #IAMWARRIOR our annual appeal to continue making a difference to the lives of the next generation of under-represented young people coming through our programme, through Covid and beyond.”
Janine Irons MBE, Co-founder and CEO of Tomorrow’s Warriors added “The pandemic has presented a number of challenges that we absolutely must overcome. Throughout lockdown we have provided much needed continuity to our young people via virtual learning sessions, keeping them supported and in continual development of their skills. But the we lost 112 confirmed live gigs between March-September 2020 alone, wiping out 100% of a vital income stream needed to keep our engines running and to continue providing the unique and extensive support to young jazz musicians who are so under-represented in the scene. We want to continue providing the necessary support to young people, then hit the ground running and resume our hugely trusted and respected Learning and Events Programme when it is safe to do so, but we need your support to survive this crisis.”
We were very pleased to have Gary Crosby and Janine visit the Jazz FM studios whilst we were celebrating our 30th birthday. You can hear from them below:
Based at Southbank Centre in London, Tomorrow’s Warriors offers a pioneering, comprehensive programme of learning and training which, in particular, champions and supports young black and female talent and those who come from challenging circumstances that would be a barrier to accessing opportunities to pursue a music career.
Since inception, in 1991, Tomorrow’s Warriors has reached over 10,000 young people aged 11-25 through its unique Young Artist Development Programme, providing each musician with between 1,000-5,000 hours of free jazz training and development.