Tomorrow’s Warriors x Fontana announce Career Mentoring Scheme.
Monday, December 08, 2025
Tomorrow’s Warriors today announced a new partnership with Fontana (Universal Music UK) to deliver an innovative Career Mentoring Scheme to 12 emerging Warrior musicians. Press release attached.
We have received the following press release;
Tomorrow’s Warriors x Fontana announce Career Mentoring Scheme
(8th December, 2025) Award-winning talent development organisation, creative producer and charity Tomorrow’s Warriors today announced a new partnership with Fontana (Universal Music UK) to deliver an innovative Career Mentoring Scheme to 12 emerging Warrior musicians.
This marks the third round of the initiative, which previously ran in partnership with Decca Records. Recently revived as a label championing jazz, folk, blues and soul, Fontana now takes the lead in delivering the scheme with Tomorrow’s Warriors.
The year-long programme will provide vital one-to-one mentoring to Black, global majority and female musicians on the Tomorrow’s Warriors Emerging Artist Programme. This year’s cohort includes Alex Ho (piano), Christ-Stephane Boizi (trombone), David Kayode (tenor sax), Donovan Haffner (alto sax), Emily Tran (piano/Composition), Genevieve Namazzi (double bass), Kezia Pollendine (piano), Ky Osborne (piano), Mali Sheard (alto sax), Miranda Radford (drums), Nathan Dawkins (electric/double bass) and Shanise Hall (trumpet).
Each Warrior musician is paired with a member of staff from across Fontana’s departments - including A&R, Marketing, Commercial & Streaming and Digital - receiving tailored support, monthly one to one sessions and group sessions in Marketing, A&R and Digital and more, to help them navigate and progress within the industry.
Fontana hosted a launch event at its Kings Cross headquarters on 27th November, where the mentees met their mentors and celebrated the start of the new partnership.
Tomorrow’s Warriors has been a springboard for many of today’s most exciting artists - including BRIT Award and Mercury Prize winners EZRA Collective. Alongside mentoring, the Tomorrow’s Warriors Emerging Artist Programme offers performance opportunities, specialist training, traineeships, talks, masterclasses and bursaries. Over the past 30 years, Tomorrow’s Warriors has supported more than 15,000 young people, providing between 1,000–5,000 hours of free jazz training to each participant.
Dr Gary Crosby OBE, Co-founder & Artistic Director, Tomorrow’s Warriors said;
“Partnering with Fontana to deliver the next round of our Career Mentoring Scheme is an incredibly exciting step for Tomorrow’s Warriors. Fontana’s renewed focus on jazz, folk, blues and soul aligns beautifully with our mission to nurture the next generation of diverse talent. For over three decades we’ve committed to providing young Black, Global Majority and female musicians with the space, support and skills they need to thrive, and this scheme deepens that commitment. Connecting our Emerging Artists with the expertise and generosity of mentors at Fontana will be transformational for their professional journeys.”
Tom Lewis, President, Fontana, said;
“We’re so proud of our longstanding and incredibly rewarding relationship with Tomorrow’s Warriors and it’s brilliant to meet this year’s mentorship participants. We always learn so much and are constantly impressed with the talent, ambition and self-determination that we see in the Warriors; and the sense of community, support and encouragement in which they grow and thrive. It is easy to see why Tomorrow’s Warriors has unearthed and nurtured such an incredible line-up of stars in recent years. It has played a pivotal role in making the UK such a global beacon for jazz.”
Tomorrow’s Warriors musician and former mentee Kianja Harvey-Elliot (vocalist) said;
“The scheme arrived at exactly the right moment in my development and helped me understand the business side of music. I built a relationship with my mentor who was, and still is a pillar of consistent support and guidance. Whenever I had specific questions about a certain department she put me in touch with different members of the team and she helped me zone in on the kind of clarity I need to present a project to a label. Tomorrow’s Warriors always believes in you, and the mentoring programme strengthens that belief by connecting us with people who can help turn our ideas into opportunities.”
Tomorrow’s Warriors musician and former mentee Grifton Forbes-Amos (trumpeter) said;
“Being part of the mentoring scheme has enabled me to take the next step in my career. My mentor aided me in recording my first EP, as well as taking the next steps to then releasing it. They also helped me understand the importance of some aspects of the industry, such as PRS and PPL. My mentor helped to make connections to people like mixing engineers, helping me in marketing myself and much more. Having direct access to someone inside a major label helped demystify the industry and gave me the knowledge to navigate my career with purpose.
About Tomorrow’s Warriors: Tomorrow’s Warriors is a pioneering talent development organisation, creative producer, learning and training provider, charity and consultancy specialising in jazz. Founded in 1991 by Queen’s Medal for Music recipient Dr Gary Crosby OBE and Janine Irons OBE, TW helps aspiring young artists from diverse backgrounds discover their magic and achieve creative ambitions. Since inception, Tomorrow’s Warriors has reached over 15,000 young people aged 11-25 through its unique Talent Development Programme, providing each musician with between 1,000-5,000 hours of free jazz training and development. Tomorrow’s Warriors nurtures nascent talent and builds engaged, culturally diverse audiences, providing a crucial development platform for emerging artists, many of whom are blazing a trail across the international music scene – including BRIT Award and Mercury Prize winners EZRA Collective, as well as Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, Cassie Kinoshi, Sheila Maurice-Gray, Binker Golding, Shabaka Hutchings and Sons of Kemet, CHERISE, ESKA, Denys Baptiste, Soweto Kinch, Zara McFarlane and many more. Tomorrow’s Warriors is a Resident Organisation of the Southbank Centre, where it hosts its Young Artist Development Programme, comprising of learning and participation, artist development and professional performances. The Emerging Artist Programme delivers mentoring, performance opportunities, training, traineeships, talks, masterclasses, and bursaries to support artists into professional careers, many securing paid, often high-profile, opportunities across a broad spectrum of the industry. Tomorrow’s Warriors is proud to be a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England and an organisation within the PRS Foundation Talent Development Network. Tomorrow’s Warriors is also the home of Nu Civilisation Orchestra. Tomorrow’s Warriors is pivotal in elevating UK jazz, valued by its alumni and respected by funding partners for the impact delivered through its pipeline for outstanding, diverse talent. https://tomorrowswarriors.org/ Tomorrow’s Warriors is a not for profit company and a Registered Charity No 1153613. Give today to Tomorrow’s Warriors at https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/13423
About Fontana: Fontana is part of Universal Music Group UK – the UK’s leading music company. It is the UK home of jazz, folk, blues, alternative and soul music. Founded over 70 years ago, Fontana played a pivotal role in recorded jazz history. Legendary musicians who released under the logo include Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Dave Brubeck and Art Blakey, as well as icons of British jazz such as Tubby Hayes, Cleo Laine and Ronnie Scott. From 1960s releases by Jimmy Page, Elton John’s first band Bluesology and an early incarnation of The Who, then called The High Numbers, to success in the 80s and 90s with acts such as The Fall and Tears for Fears, Fontana is indelibly associated with the early identification and development of unique talent. It was relaunched in the UK in 2025, continuing its ethos of experimentation and discovery. Fontana’s current roster includes internationally-acclaimed artists Jacob Collier, AURORA, Jordan Rakei, Melody Gardot, Victor Ray, The Teskey Brothers, dodie and Jeff Goldblum.