Students from multiple Newcastle schools and youth choirs welcomed Mercury Prize judges arriving at the city’s central railway station ahead of the 2026 ceremony, BBC reported.
The LNER Mini Mercury Choir assembled children from Hotspur Primary School, Regent Farm First School, the Gosforth Voices choir, and the Newcastle Children’s Choir to perform an entrance fanfare for the judging panel. Newcastle Music Hub’s Charlotte Galloway conducted the youth choir, which prepared the performance through two hours of rehearsal. Galloway said the result demonstrated what becomes possible when investment is directed toward young people.
Two eight-year-old choir members named Chloe and Olivia said they initially felt nervous before the performance. Radio One DJ and judge Sian Eleri said the children’s choir greeting was a highlight of an emotionally charged day and praised Newcastle as a city of culture with music at its forefront.
According to BBC, the Mercury Prize marks its second year in Newcastle after previously being hosted only in London since its 1992 establishment. The fringe festival accompanying the ceremony included a programme where teenagers planned and delivered a live gig to gain exposure to music industry careers.
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