Liverpool's Sophie Clarke releases new single:- "A Million Dreams" in aid of:- 'Little Princess Trust'

THE release of:- 'A Million Dreams' follows Sophie's 1st 3 singles:- 'The Rose,' 'A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes' and 'Born Free,' which have all been published onto multiple playlists and have been aired on various radio stations including:- BBC Radio Merseyside, Greenwich Maritime Radio and Sound Radio Wales in the UK and iHeartRadio in the USA. All proceeds raised from this new single will be donated to the Little Princess Trust, a charity which provide thousands of real hair wigs to sick children and young people, aged up to 24 years across the UK and Ireland. This year the 22 year old Mezzo-Soprano, Actor and Dancer from Liverpool was the Guest Soloist at the 2021 Miss England Final in Coventry, a competition in which charitable work is at the heart. Since the age of 9 Sophie has performed in numerous charity concerts and events every year, most prominently for The British Heart Foundation, and it was during Miss England that her next idea came to mind. With the guidance of the Head of Miss Liverpool Patricia Hughes, Sophie recorded the song:- 'A Million Dreams' from the hit movie The Greatest Showman with all proceeds to go to The Little Princess Trust. The piece was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and Sophie's recording with orchestrations by Matteo Ressa and production by Karl Ziegler highlights the young singers' captivatingly classic voice which allows the listener to feel transported to the world of Hollywood. In addition to the single release, Sophie has also set up a Just Giving Page in the hope to maximise fundraising. Since the age of fifteen, Sophie has been a regular busker in her home town of Liverpool, and in London, to help raise funds firstly for her performing arts training and then for her Masters Degree. Sophie was then delighted to have been offered the Hargreaves's and Ball scholarship and sponsorship by Mr Peter Snook to study at the Royal Northern College of Music for a Masters of Music in Classical Singing and Opera, where she started this September. She aims to encourage and inspire other young people to be proactive in pursuing their dreams, but to also remember those who helped them get there. In addition to releasing music, Sophie continues to perform in various venues around the UK and on the 4th December she will be the Alto Soloist in Handel's Messiah at Nottingham's Albert Hall. In previous years she was the Mezzo Soprano Soloist in the latest performance of Bernstein's Mass at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre and a soloist on BBC One's TV Series:- 'All Together Now.' She is also currently working on original material with Liverpool Composer Hannah Keeley, which will be released in 2022. Keep up to date with latest performance dates and news on Sophie's website or follow her on social media for more music and videos:- SophieClarkeSinger.Co.UK Also please visit her Just Giving page at:- JustGiving.Com.
 

The Liverpool International Jazz Festival is coming back with a bang after a Covid forced hiatus

THE Liverpool International Jazz Festival (LIJF), organised and hosted by Liverpool Hope University, runs until Sunday, 27 February 2022. The global Pandemic meant the Festival wasn't able to run in 2021. But having 1st launched in 2013, the Jazz Festival has played host to some of the genre's leading lights, including:- Courtney Pine, Denys Baptiste, Roller Trio, Impossible Gentlemen, Kit Downes, Led Bib, Philip Catherine, GoGo Penguin, Troyka, Neil Cowley Trio, and Dennis Rollins' Velocity Trio. 1 of this year's Festival highlights, and perhaps the most accessible show for non-jazz aficionados; will see theCamilla George Bandtake to the stage, on Saturday, 26 February 2022. It'll see the Nigeria born Saxophonist, Camilla George, leading a funky, joyous celebration of the fusion between African and Western music. 

The Festival Organiser Neil Campbell, Venue Manager for Hope's acclaimed Creative Campus, says audiences are in for a ethnically diverse, mind blowing treat.  He says:- "We want to showcase innovative, instrumental jazz which crosses genre boundaries, but we also want to celebrate jazz that's really accessible to audiences who might be new to this type of music. We've always tried to have a really international perspective to the artists we invite. And this year; more than any other year; the line up for our long weekend is really diverse. That has almost happened accidentally. We've simply tried to pick the cream of the crop, and it just so happens that the most exciting performers in jazz right now come from a range of different cultural backgrounds."

Tickets for the Liverpool International Jazz Festival are on sale now via Ticket Quarteror through The Capstone Theatre website. Individual show tickets are priced from ₤15, while you can enjoy a full weekend pass for just ₤50; which Festival organisers suggest might be the perfect Christmas stocking filler! 

Meanwhile you can also get involved in various after parties and alternative gigs, which link to Liverpool's grassroots jazz scene, after each performance throughout the festival. Details of those events will be announced nearer the time. More information can also be found on Liverpool Hope University's 'Liverpool International Jazz Festival' page.