A new awards ceremony celebrating the the breadth of musical talent across the North of England has been announced.
The star-studded award show will be the 'first of its kind' to honour artists, festivals, venues and industry figures from across the region. Nordoff and Robbins, The UK’s largest music therapy charity, will host its inaugural ceremony in Manchester this November – then will move to a different northern city every year.
Spice Girl Melanie C will be honoured with a Special Recognition award at the awards show, for her outstanding contribution to music, and will be performing live, with many more acts to be announced soon. The performance-packed show will take place om Thursday, November 30 at the landmark new arts, music and culture space, Factory International.
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The awards, which will be hosted by BBC Radio 6 Music's Chris Hawkins, will officially launch this evening with a event at Band on the Wall in Manchester, with performances from a host of local acts including Antony Szmierek, Joash, The K’s and The Mysterines.
Awards categories at this year's awards range from Newcomer of the Year to Artist of the Year, Band of the Year, DJ of the Year, Maverick in Music, and the Northern Music Award. A special Music and Culture for Wellbeing award will spotlight the ''outstanding and innovative' creative arts provision in the North, which uses music and culture to support and connect with people who face health, wellbeing and socio-economic challenges.
Tickets for the inaugural event go on sale soon via the Nordoff and Robins website and pre-sale tickets are available now. Money raised from ticket sales will help to fund the opening of a new dedicated music therapy centre for Greater Manchester - based in Salford.
Nordoff and Robbins delivers music therapy across the UK from bases in London, Croydon, Newcastle, Dunfermline and Glasgow. It's biggest service area is currently the North of England, with 45 music therapists and 118 partner organisations providing nearly 20,000 sessions of vital music therapy to more than 4,300 people in the region.
The new Greater Manchester centre based in Salford, will be a multi-disciplinary music making and therapy space, and will house a high spec recording studio with interactive, accessible music technology, serving the needs of individuals and Northern communities.
Sandra Schembri, CEO, Nordoff and Robbins said: “We see music as a superpower, so we’re incredibly excited to launch the Nordoff and Robbins Northern Music Awards supported by Ticketmaster in Manchester and can’t wait to honour such a broad range of talent – from artists to venues, festivals and those who’ve really made a difference with music - the event is going to be unmissable.
"The support of the public, artists and the wider music industry is absolutely vital - all the money raised from ticket sales will enable Nordoff and Robbins to help more people in the North to access music therapy through a fantastic new centre.
"Music therapy is the act of supporting people to connect and communicate through music who otherwise are unable to; such as those living with autism to dementia, learning difficulties to brain injuries, life-limiting illnesses to mental health issues, grief and trauma. We believe that everyone who needs it should have access to music therapy, because it can, quite simply, transform people’s lives."
On the new music therapy centre, Sandra told the Manchester Evening News: "We started our relationship with Manchester 20 years ago and currently we do more work in the North than any other area in the UK and we wanted to double down on that support here because the need is greater there than ever.
"We want to be create a space where people can communicate and congregate around music, bit it's also to enable people to have highly specialised music therapy sessions where they wouldn't be able to in their own settings, as well as create unity through music making."
The 2023 Northern Music Awards will also be supported by Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and City of Salford Mayor, Paul Dennett.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham commented: “I’m delighted to be helping to bring these inaugural awards to the North – and what better city to launch in than Manchester? Historically Northern music has always been a cut above, especially the music from working class communities. There is a strong, talented and passionate musical heritage here that deserves to be celebrated.
"I have seen for myself how Nordoff and Robbins’ trained music therapists are able to harness the power of music to evoke different responses in people - for many, this can give them a sense of calm or joy, and an ability to connect with others through musical melodies and lyrics. It is so important that funds raised from the Northern Music Awards will go towards providing essential music therapy to people, right here in the North, who need it most.”
Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett added: "We all know the power of music, whichever genre or period it may be, it has the ability to resonate and really mean something to all of us. The wide-ranging positive impacts of music therapy for those most isolated and vulnerable within the community have been well documented.
"So, I'm extremely glad to be working with Nordoff and Robbins so that our residents here in Salford and indeed right across Greater Manchester will have access to a music therapy facility and the many benefits its services will provide. The music therapy support we're looking to bring to Salford has the potential to truly change the lives of those who need it the most.
"As a city with a proud musical heritage, it is great to see how music is now being used in such an innovative way and I'm committed to help bring this approach to Salford."
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