The Music Venue Upstairs@TheGather in Ennerdale is running the second of free week-long workshops for aspiring young technicians who want to learn about performance technologies.
A group of 14 to 17-year-old local volunteers will spend five days learning about lighting, sound, filming and streaming of live music events.
Their week culminates in two days with a professional musician, the first in The Music Farm Sound Recording Studio in Egremont and the second preparing for a live gig on the Friday evening when the youngsters will apply the skills they have learned and manage the control desk during the performance.
Musicians Chris Cleverley, Katie Spencer, Snake Davis and Gareth Moulton are taking part.
Snake will be a music mentor in workshop three, he has also volunteered to come and do a session in this week’s workshop two. His session will be introducing the critical importance of a good working relationship between musician and technician.
Snake has developed a great commitment to the music programme, Great Artists – Small Venue and was the first to appear Upstairs@TheGather in March 2020.
He and his son Joe then helped set up the technical equipment for performances and helped train a group of local volunteers the skills to use it. Since then, Snake has performed Upstairs@TheGather several times.
It’s becoming a family affair: Snake’s son Joe, now 21, is currently an undergraduate in computer science at Newcastle University and has volunteered to join the workshop, with two other music undergraduates from Surrey University and Edge Hill University to act as mentors to the young technicians.
Organiser Peter Maher said: “We are so pleased to have won the support of these outstanding musicians. They see for themselves as they tour the country the national shortage of these skill sets and have been only too happy to help.
“Our young technicians get to see them recording in a sound studio and learn about setting up and running the technologies used in staging and live-streaming a music gig. Our thanks go to Arts Council England for supporting this new initiative.
Katie Spencer, the artist and performer for workshop two said: “It’s always a great pleasure to perform Upstairs@TheGather in Ennerdale. It is such an intimate and friendly environment for music and receptive audiences.
“It will be my great pleasure to work with these seven aspiring technicians and their undergraduate mentors so that they understand that the role of technician is more than just making the equipment work; it is their job to create the technical environment that allows the musician to give of their best.”
Snake added: “I love the Lake District and regularly perform all over Cumbria. Upstairs@TheGather is such a lovely venue and the team and the local audiences make artists very welcome.
“I particularly applaud this initiative to encourage a new generation to participate in the arts. Running the back stage technologies is just as important as performing and can offer an interesting route into the arts for these young people. Their week will certainly be an eye-opener for them.”
