New music festival to work with asylum seekers

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Press release:

Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival launched its new ‘Health and Wellbeing’ strand of work earlier this month, with a twelve week project running weekly creative sessions with refugees and asylum seekers at The Reach Project in Huddersfield, and local community participants at Huddersfield Mission. The funds that the hcmf// team raised by cycling from London to Paris in July is directly funding the project, alongside a Big Lottery Fund grant.

Part of the Festival’s Learning & Participation programme, the new project, Momentum, started on 2 September, and is running in partnership with Huddersfield Mission and The Reach Project, Huddersfield. The project will be led by award-winning music and health practitioner Georgina Aasgaard, and will focus on building participants’ confidence and self-esteem as well as exploring emotional and physical issues through creative music-making.

Georgina is a regular practitioner working with Liverpool Philharmonic as lead artist for their work with Mersey Care NHS Trust, as well as being a mentor for music and health practice with Live Music Now. She also regularly performs as a cellist with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra and BBC Philharmonic. Georgina will be supported by Sam Hodgson, who is a HOOT Creative Arts trained artist.