• CULTIVATE grantee organisations and young people

Last month, the Wired4Music team headed to Sunderland for the first instalment of WIRED UP North, bringing young people and organisations from the 2026–27 CULTIVATE cohort together for two days of workshops, collaboration and performances on 28 and 29 October.

The first day’s programme at the newly opened Culture House included workshops hosted by Wired4Music, covering content creation, networking and vocal training alongside career advice.

• Day 1 workshops led by Wired4Music young producers

The second day centred on a live music showcase at Independent, Sunderland, with young performers from Brink Productions, Communities Unite, Overgrown Audio, Scrapyard Studios CIC and We Make Culture.

Supported by the Wired4Music house band. The programme offered artists opportunities to take part in collaborative jam sessions and performances, connect with peers and industry professionals, and share their music with new audiences.

• Day 2 performances at the Independent

Young Peoples Programme manager Tee Peters said when asked ‘why do opportunities like WIRED UP North and CULTIVATE matter to young creatives’, they responded with the following:

“Not many young people especially in the north east have access to music equipment or practice spaces and with the rise of social media it’s a lot harder to make it in the music industry so the support and networking these types of sessions give us is amazing”

And

“It definitely gives young creatives the opportunity to see there’s more to the music scene outside of their local area and it shows that there’s so many likeminded individuals you just have to find them!”

Feedback from the two days was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the importance of spaces where young creatives can learn, connect and collaborate in meaningful ways.

This was the first in a series of events being delivered by Sound Connections and Wired4Music in Sunderland over the next quarter, and we’re excited to see these creative connections grow.

Learn more about this year’s CULTIVATE cohort here: