Budding young musicians were given the opportunity last week to try out for the 2020 Local Emerging Artists Program [LEAP] at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre [BMEC].
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The LEAP program provides opportunities for emerging artists aged 13 to 25 to further their talent and build their live performance experience via an association with the Inland Sea of Sound festival.
Last week's workshop saw a host of young musicians hone their skills under the tutelage of Abby Smith and Sophie Jones [Smith & Jones].
Ms Jones, who was a foundation LEAP member, said the program encourages young artists to grow their confidence as performers.
"A lot of these young musicians have never had the chance to perform live, so the LEAP program gives them a deadline to work towards," she said.
A key focus of this year's LEAP program is to encourage the growth of bands, and one such group to answer the call is the 'Forget me nots,' consisting of Jade Newham on piano/vocals, Taylah Cooper on bass/vocals and Digby Sharpham on drums.
"I've been involved with the LEAP program for a couple of years now and when I spoke to the others about starting a band, we thought it might be a good opportunity for us to get some gigs," Jade said.
"Our sound is an amalgamation of different genres, and we'd love to have the opportunity to build an audience," Taylah added.
"It will be a huge honour to perform at Inland Sea of Sound if we get the opportunity," Digby added.
Successful LEAP applicants will have the opportunity to perform a series of gigs around town in the lead up to Inland Sea of Sound.
The gigs will run across two weekends [January 31 to February 2 and February 7 to 8] at a host of local venues, including El Guapo, Webb and Co, Mad Season Cafe, The Hub and Piccolo's on William.
In addition, a LEAP band night will be held on Saturday, February 15, and various artists will be invited to perform at Inland Sea of Sound.
For more information on LEAP, visit www.inlandseaofsound.com.au.
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Sam Bolt
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
