Do you make creative music in and around jazz & improvisation? Are you based in the north, and do you have a good few years’ experience under your belt? Are you a little stuck?
mjf hothouse is a chance for you to stop, take a breath and reimagine who you are and where you are as an artist. It’s a deep-dive career intervention, aiming to push you towards re-defining your ambitions and understanding not only the work you want to make, but also how you could make it. We will help you to unearth your undiscovered potential, grow in confidence, and support you to take risks making new music.
Over the programme, we shepherd you through a series of sessions with our experienced in-house team, a mentor chosen especially to suit you, plus other surprises along the way. Each year we create a compatible cohort of six artists and design the content of the programme around your needs as an artist and address any barriers you may face.
The music you make will be a creative risk for you, or a signature piece, or a complete departure from a previous body of work, or a wild collaboration with someone for the first time. You will be paid for your time on the programme and for creating your new music. You’ll share it live as a ‘sketch’ at the midway point, where you will receive feedback from invited industry specialists and ideas to further inform your creative process. If it’s right for you, we’ll link you into our peer network of organisations across Europe.
The hothouse programme is a transformative experience; but it isn’t right for everyone. It can be emotionally challenging, surprising, and is unlike other artist development opportunities you may have undergone. We invest a lot of time selecting the right artists who are at the right stage in their career to benefit.
We are most interested in supporting people who need a leg-up; people who are facing barriers and people who need some ‘time out’ to reflect on their current practice, and their place navigating the music industry. We see it as a retreat for you; to escape from the grind and put some energy into your music-making wellness.
hothouse is a ‘stage not age’ programme. We are interested in supporting people who have been practicing independently for a good few years and are ready to make a change. We’re here to shine a light as you take the plunge in a new direction.
“hothouse changed my life!” – Lara Jones
“hothouse is an incredible programme so apply now!’ – Ni Maxine
“hothouse had more faith in me than I could spare for myself and I was blown away by what I could achieve with their guidance, faith and practical support.”- Thandanani Gumede
To be eligible for hothouse you must be:
mjf hothouse is supported by funding from Arts Council England, GMCA and PRSF. mjf is a PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner. Photo Credits: Richard Tymon; Film Credits: Ray Chan. Produced by Helen Goodman, mjf Talent Development Associate.
