05 February 2021
Newsdesk
As the UK’s leading free performing and creative arts school for young people aged 14-19, The BRIT School has been an incubator for raw talent for nearly 30 years. Today, we are delighted to announce the launch of The Royal Bank of Canada Emerging Artists Programme in partnership with The BRIT School.
The RBC Emerging Artists Project launched in Europe late last year and reflects RBC’s long-standing commitment to supporting emerging artists, with its Canadian programme flourishing for more than a decade. This ground-breaking partnership will support a number of The BRIT School’s projects and events, both live and virtual by our Final Year students as they fine-tune their craft, develop skills and prepare for the next phase of their creative careers journey. The partnership will also help keep BRIT the special place it has become for students — both a safe haven to be who they want to be and a springboard to achieve ambitious career goals in the creative industries.
The BRIT School believes that creativity is the future and that young people from all backgrounds should be able to develop their talent. The School is a community of 1,400 individuals and The RBC Emerging Artists Programme will be hosted via the online platform BRIT Now, where students’ creative work celebrates and explores issues close to their hearts from Pride and the NHS to Black Lives Matter Movement. An RBC Emerging Artists Prize will be established to support students as they leave BRIT and progress into further education or directly into the creative industry. The partnership will be recognised across events throughout the year from theatre seasons, to new writing festivals and visual art exhibitions.
Prue Thompson, Senior Director Head of Marketing and Client Engagement, said
“RBC’s purpose is to help communities prosper, and a critical component of that is supporting the important role the arts play in enriching our lives. We are thrilled to be partnering with The BRIT School, as part of the RBC Emerging Artists Project in the UK. The devastating impact of COVID-19 means artists need help more than ever to bridge the gap from ‘emerging’ to ‘established’, and we are committed to contributing to that journey.”
Stuart Worden, Principal of The BRIT School, said
“It is fantastic to be working with a partner who regards the arts so highly, especially in these challenging times. RBC’s commitment to emerging talent is extremely forward thinking and we are excited to be working with them on this programme. It has been an incredibly disruptive time for arts and education, and the importance of nurturing young people’s creative ideas and imagination is vital as it impacts on all areas of life and work.
With continued and growing pressures on the School’s funding, support from RBC is essential to ensure The BRIT School can continue to invest in the broad creative vocational education, which is free, for the 1,400 students who come from all social backgrounds. RBC’s support will make a huge difference and help to #keepBRITspecial for the next generation of young creative minds.”
