We know that when young artists receive high quality support, recognition and personal development opportunities during the critical early stage of their career, it makes a lasting impact on their future.

The trajectories of our Alumni Artists, who are regularly sought after by concert promoters and commercial management agencies worldwide, demonstrate that the time spent with YCAT can have a transformative impact on musicians' careers.

Since our foundation in 1984, over 100 gifted musicians have launched their careers as YCAT Artists. These include Ian Bostridge CBE, Alison Balsom OBE, the Belcea Quartet and James Baillieu as well as finalists of the BBC Young Musician Competition who include Martin James Bartlett, Jess Gillam and Sheku Kanneh-Mason MBE.

"Musicians need concerts, but to get concerts you need to be well known, and to be well known, you need concerts. Solving this catch-22 situation is YCAT’s raison d'être. YCAT gives artists a stamp of quality and seal of approval in the industry".

     Thomas Gould, violinist (YCAT Artist 2006)    

     

We launched our free, open-to-all 21cMusician toolkit in September 2020, following the success of our pilot Sounding Board programme. From mini-masterclasses to micro-courses, interviews and blogs to live events, our resources cover different aspects of setting out on your own as a freelance musician, alongside Career Coaching for more interactive, bespoke guidance. 

In the first three months following the launch of the 21cMusician toolkit, we reached 25,000 musicians through our digital media, and 200 musicians attended online events and coaching sessions.

Thank you for putting on these online events. It’s fabulous as we can access them from anywhere! - Get Savvy with Social Media event attendee