The BBC Proms has come to Middlesbrough Town Hall for the first time, with young musicians in the region calling it an important opportunity to access world-class music events locally.
Folk band The Unthanks kicked off the season at the venue with a performance backed by a full orchestra. Concerts and events are also being held in Gateshead and Sunderland as part of the wider BBC Proms programme in the north-east of England.
Young composers workshop
One of the themes of this year's Proms is young composers. A workshop was held in Middlesbrough for aspiring musicians aged between 12 to 18, where they worked with professional musicians to hone their skills.
Lottie, 15, from Middlesbrough, said the Proms coming to the town addresses a gap in local music opportunities. "Having the proms in our backyard is really important because there are not that many music opportunities in the region," she said.
On the workshop, she added: "It's really exciting to meet professional musicians and see how they write songs, how they do things. I want to write, perform live and be successful. Having the proms in Middlesbrough means more young people will get experience, and that's very important."
Janet, 17, from Newcastle, described the workshop as "a real opportunity" and said it gave her confirmation that pursuing music was achievable. "There's loads of talented musicians here," she said. "It's important to have the proms locally, it makes it more accessible."
Radio 3 presenter Elizabeth Alker noted that 4,500 people from the region attended the Proms for the first time last year. "So to get to experience this music, to have it up here, I just think that's fantastic," she said.