Live and Local: Northumbria University Strikes New Partnership with Regional Music Agency
A new collaboration between Northumbria University, their catering partner Chartwells, and local talent agency Nrthrn Baby, is bringing emerging, local artists to campus events.
Northumbria University, together with their catering partner Chartwells, have announced a new partnership with regional talent agency Nrthrn Baby to bring live music to campus events. The partnership aims to boost student experience whilst supporting emerging, regional talent.
The collaboration will see a curated line-up of musicians and performers take to the stage at key on-campus locations, creating new opportunities for regional artists while giving students access to high-quality, local live music. Events will be scheduled throughout the academic year and open to both students and staff, with some performances tied into wider university and community events, from street food pop-ups to Pride celebrations.
Founded in 2020 and based between Tees Valley and Newcastle upon Tyne, Nrthrn Baby was set up to tackle the lack of infrastructure for emerging artists in the region, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds and genres.
“Working with partners like Chartwells and Northumbria University is so important to us. It’s about building real foundations for young people in the North East to thrive creatively, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds and genres”, said Nicola Coaker, founder of Nrthrn Baby, “When local institutions back local talent, it creates a pipeline that can genuinely shift the culture and open doors that didn’t exist before.”
Since launching, Nrthrn Baby has helped kickstart the careers of countless local creatives, and formed partnerships with a host of big names, from Atlantic Records and MOBOs, to BBC Introducing and Kick Game.
Jessica McCabe, contract director for Chartwells at the university, said “Student experience is at the heart of everything that we do. We want to create memorable social spaces and events, and music is the obvious choice for us to elevate what we offer. The region has such a strong cultural and creative scene. We wanted to tap into that yet also support it”.
Northumbria University is committed to creating opportunities within the North East's cultural and creative industries and has developed successful partnerships with North East Museums, Live Theatre, New Writing North, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and the British Film Institute (BFI). The University also offers a Music BA (Hons) degree course, which has strong links with Newcastle's Lit & Phil library and Newcastle cathedral.
David Jackson, Director of Campus Experience at Northumbria University, said “We’re always looking for ways to elevate the experience that the university offers its students, and to foster a sense of community. This partnership not only helps us to do that on campus but also strengthens our ties with the local creative scene – something we’re proud to be able to support.”
The programme is designed to cater to a wide range of musical tastes, with a cross-partnership curation. Two acts have already performed live on campus since May, supporting a restaurant relaunch and a campus-wide Pride celebration, and there are monthly performances planned for the new academic year.
