Kirklees Year of Music 2023 announces winter songbook competition to write a festive song to be performed at Dewsbury Town Hall Christmas concert

These initiatives, in collaboration with Unlimited and Dewsbury Taking the Lead, will offer disabled artists and organisations and aspiring songwriters/composers respectively the chance to showcase their skills and develop their music-led work.

Kirklees Year of Music and Dewsbury Taking the Lead have announced “Songs for the Season”, a competition that will see the creation of a winter songbook for Kirklees.

Songwriters and composers are invited to create an original winter-themed composition for the festive season that will be performed at a special concert in December as part of Kirklees Year of Music.

Open to all aged 14 or above with a connection to Kirklees through work, residence or study, “Songs for the Season” is looking for tunes between 2.5 and five minutes long which draw inspiration from Kirklees and the winter season.

The winning selection will be decided by a judging panel which includes world-touring saxophonist Ellie Sax, The Voice UK singer Rachel Modest and head of Musica Kirklees, Thom Meredith.

Once selected, the top ten winning compositions will undergo a professional arrangement and be performed at Dewsbury Town Hall on December 12. The compositions will also be compiled into a winter songbook, which will be distributed to schools all across Kirklees.

Keith Ramsay, chairman of the Dewsbury Town Deal Board, added: “We’re delighted that ‘Taking the Lead’ is supporting Songs for the Season as part of Kirklees Year of Music. This is all part of our activity to invest in Dewsbury to boost its economy and long-term prosperity, by supporting creative culture.

"We’re thrilled that the 10 commissioned winter songs will be heard at a seasonal concert at Dewsbury Town Hall – another opportunity for people in and around Dewsbury to experience the joy of live music and coming together as a community at a very special time of year.”

The second opportunity, in partnership with disabled-led arts commissioners Unlimited, invites disabled artists and organisations based in Kirklees to apply for micro-commissions.

These micro-awards, with grants of up to £1,000, are available to support disabled artists to explore and enhance their creative ideas, with resources available for rehearsal space, lessons, recording studio access, equipment, and much more.

The opportunity is open to disabled musicians or disabled-led organisations regularly working in or based in Kirklees. Successful applicants will not only receive funding but also gain access to the Unlimited Alumni, providing invaluable advisory services, networking opportunities, and professional development resources.

Cat Sheridan, a senior producer at Unlimited, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Kirklees Year of Music to provide these micro-commissions for disabled artists in the area. It’s a key part of our mission to provide opportunities at a local and national level.

"We’re excited to meet some of the brilliant disabled artists based here! This is a great opportunity for early and mid-career artists to explore and experiment, and we can’t wait to see what ideas come forward.”