There is a useful way to measure Musinc’s year in Middlesbrough: 396 music sessions, 44 events and thousands of people making or listening to live music. The more revealing measure, though, is the number of routes it has created for someone to take a first step and keep going.

Based at Middlesbrough Town Hall, Musinc runs community choirs, youth bands, inclusive orchestras and holiday activities for people of different ages and abilities. Over the year covered by the programme’s latest update, 142 young people and 122 adults took part in weekly groups. Its events involved a record 1,306 participants and drew combined audiences of more than 4,600.

From a first rehearsal to a public stage

The programme is designed so that joining a group does not have to be the end of the story. A young musician might begin with Bandjam or Open Orchestra, perform at events such as Amplify, Classical Café or Orange Pip Market, then learn how to organise work through the Young Producers group.

A new recording and rehearsal studio has added another step. Cardiac, a band whose members met through Bandjam, became the first act to record there after winning a session through the Young Producers Battle of the Bands competition.

Musinc also marked the debut of The Lost Orchestra, formed for d/Deaf, disabled and young musicians. The group performed alongside Middlesbrough Open Orchestra at the Town Hall, making inclusion part of the main programme rather than a separate add-on.

A town-wide programme

Some projects have worked on a much larger scale. Two hundred performers took part in My Great Folk, an opera exploring the history of migration to Middlesbrough. Community and school choirs from across the region also came together for the annual Shine Festival.

Musinc manager Samantha Knight said the aim is to let people explore their own musical identity while building clear paths towards work in the music industry. That balance matters: the programme can be a welcoming weekly activity, a place to build confidence, or the start of a serious creative career.

The work is delivered with partners including Middlesbrough Council, Gem Arts, North East Opera, Apollo Arts, Generator and River Tees Multi Academy Trust. Its principal funders are Youth Music and Arts Council England.

For Middlesbrough, the result is more than a tally of concerts. It is a growing local music network in which rehearsal rooms, inclusive ensembles, production skills and public performance are connected.

: Participation figures and programme milestones were checked against Middlesbrough Council’s report of 30 July 2026. Image: Middlesbrough Council.