Award-winning singer-songwriter Laura Mvula, Britain’s Got Talent stars Escala, X-Factor finalists Lloyd Daniels and Niki Evans along with leading West End performer Julie Atherton, will come together with a host of other established artists including ZooNation and London Contemporary Voices for an evening of music and dance in aid of Alice’s Youth Music Memorial Fund.
The disappearance of Alice Gross last August shocked the nation, with the public rallying round in the subsequent campaign “Find Alice”. Tragically when Alice was found this was not the news that everyone had hoped for.
Since that time her family have set up Alice’s Youth Music Memorial Fund to contribute to the work of the National Foundation for Youth Music in her memory. This national charity supports almost 400 music projects around the country providing life-changing music-making opportunities for children and young people facing significant challenges in their lives including disability, poverty and mental health issues or difficult life circumstances such as being a refugee or in care.
Alice was a talented performer and an active member of Forecast Academy, a performing arts school whose ethos is to offer high quality training and mentoring from industry professionals. Founded in 2013 by Oliver Boito and Jody Tranter, both with years of working in the arts as performers and writers, they proceeded to coach the students each term and teach them to hone their skills. “Alice really enjoyed and learnt immensely from her time there, receiving support and encouragement from West End stars, TV professionals, commercial dancers, recording artists and singer song-writers” recalls Alice’s mum Ros Hodgkiss.
Now in memory of Alice and her craft, Forecast Academy is staging a one off concert at The Ambassadors Theatre on Tuesday 21st July 2015. The concert will reflect the nature of the school with students, professionals and other emerging talent taking to the stage.
Forecast co-founder Oliver Boito explains, “Forecast was launched through a passion for inspiring and training the next generation of creative young talent. Alice was a treasured part of our Forecast family, whose loss profoundly affected us all. ‘A Concert for Alice’ is a celebration of her life; taking our ethos of bringing professionals and students together, whilst having the opportunity to support the wonderful Youth Music fund her parents set-up in her memory.”
Ros Hodgkiss says: “We are delighted that Forecast has decided to stage ‘A Concert for Alice’ in support of Alice’s Youth Music Memorial Fund and in honour of our beloved daughter. We are extremely grateful to all the professional performers and backstage staff, who have offered to contribute their talent and skills to make the evening a success. For some of the younger performers, it will provide an exceptional opportunity for them to receive the benefit of professional mentoring and perform in a professional theatre to a large and diverse live audience, the sort of opportunity that we would hope to be able to extend to other children through Alice’s Youth Music Memorial Fund. She would have loved this concert and the chance to participate in a similar event had she lived. We are sending good wishes and good luck to all the performers. You will make this evening a very special night, and by supporting Alice’s Youth Music Memorial Fund, transform many young lives for the better.”
Matt Griffiths, CEO, Youth Music says: “We are very grateful to Forecast Academy for staging this evening of entertainment for the benefit of Youth Music. Forecast and Youth Music share the aim of enabling young people to express their creativity and talent through music and I’m sure this event will demonstrate its great work encouraging young people’s music-making. We very much appreciate all the artists contributing their time and talent to the evening, and as always, our thanks to Alice’s family for their wonderful support with the funds raised by Alice’s Youth Music Memorial Fund”.
Tickets are now on sale via www.theambassadorstheatre.co.uk Box Office: 08448 112 334
For more information on A Concert for Alice please visit www.forecastacademy.co.uk/aconcertforalice
Twitter: @aconcert4alice
Information on Alice’s Youth Music Memorial Fund can be found at http://alice.poppymadeleine.gross.muchloved.com/.