Category: People of the Pavilion

National Apprenticeship Week 2024: Alex’s Story ( Creative Industries Production Technician Apprentice)

It’s National Apprenticeship week and we are celebrating the value and opportunities they provide for young people breaking into the creative industries. We spoke to one of our apprentices, Alex, who is currently at the De La Warr completing his Creative Industries Production Technician apprenticeship. Having started in October 2023, Alex has been learning on the job, gaining new skills and confidence with support from his team. He finds his role exciting and would recommend it to others who may be interested. ‘No day is the same, daily tasks are varied depending on the gigs and the possibilities after completing the apprenticeship are vast. You can go into so many different environments from working on cruises to being a touring technician.’

Alex will be joined on his apprenticeship training here at DLWP with apprentices from The Dome Brighton and Eastbourne Theatres. All training is delivered by East Sussex College Group in the DLWP auditorium under the guidance of our Technical Manager Mat McQuade.

It’s not too late to join! If you are a venue looking to extend your technical team adding an apprentice is an excellent way to grow your own! Get in touch with Kim Byford Project Director Talent Accelerator for more information kim.byford@dlwp.com

Celebrate the Next Generation of Jazz at DLWP

DLWP Fundraiser Dan Scales previews the National Youth Jazz Orchestra from a unique perspective:

It is as exciting for the Pavilion’s staff to hear about upcoming performances as it is for our community. From big names to emerging artists, from music to comedy, we all get the same buzz when an artist we love gets announced.

This week, the news of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) visiting DLWP as part of their forthcoming tour, celebrating the music of Amy Winehouse, piqued my interest for a slightly more unusual reason…

Growing up in Norwich, I played trombone in the Norfolk Student’s Jazz Orchestra – a group of the most talented young jazz musicians from across the county. A highlight of my time in the Jazz Orchestra were visits from NYJO, with whom we held joint workshops, sessions and, of course, watched perform at Norwich’s leading venues.

NYJO has been a hot bed of jazz and big band talent for over 55 years. Alumni include Guy Barker, Laura Jurd, Mark Nightingale, the leader of the Strictly Come Dancing band Dave Arch (plus most of his band), London 2012’s

Many of my peers in the Norfolk Student’s Jazz Orchestra went on to study music to degree level and beyond, gracing stages up and down the UK. Never that talented myself, I took a different path – studying history before moving into Fundraising, eventually returning to the arts and music in my current role at the Pavilion.

DLWP is far more than just a venue. We engage over 6,000 people each year through our learning and participation activities, enabling children, young people, and adults to engage in the arts, developing creative and personal skills in the process.

NYJO is more than just an orchestra. NYJO runs a comprehensive national education programme. This spreads the ‘Jazz message’ to around 20,000 young people annually. I was fortunate enough to benefit from these fantastic workshops years ago, and am delighted that NYJO continues this work to this day.

So, come and celebrate the best young jazz musicians in the UK on Thursday 7 October 2021. Speaking from experience, it’ll be worth it…

Book tickets here!

#peopleofthepavilion

Dan Scales as a primary school student & budding musician