THE North-East’s colourful musical background will be featured in a photographic exhibition next month.

It shows performers at work in the region in various musical styles ranging from pop to classical and jazz to brass bands at work in the region, featuring vocalists and instrumentalists.

The show of about 40 mounted prints and a further selection of unmounted images of the musicians has been produced by a group of photographers from Durham Photographic Society.

The exhibition opens at Washington Arts Centre, Biddick Lane, on November 6 and runs until December 12.

It is part of a series entitled Portraits for the North East (PFTNE) which began more than four years ago and which has already included exhibitions of some of the region’s most influential people, war veterans and craftsmen and women.

The man behind the PFTNE project, retired teacher and Durham Photographic Society member John Cogan said: “We are fortunate to live in a region which boasts the best in live music. It is one of the richest in the country for participation.’’

The Durham photographers’ work has been has been collected at live gigs, street performances including Durham’s Miners Gala and Streets of Brass Festival and at venues such as The Sage, Gateshead.

John Cogan added: “The year long project covers all genres of music and has involved around a dozen members of Durham Photographic Society. We are fortunate to live in a region where the opportunities to enjoy music of any sort are infinite.

“If it is folk, jazz, country and western, pop or classical, it matters not.

“There will be someone in the region who shares your interests.”

“There are so many venues: from buskers’ night at the local pub to the the concert hall of The Sage, clubs and small assembly halls. There are not enough gallery walls to do this rich variety justice. What we have photographed barely scratch of

the surface. “

The Washington Art Centre is at Biddick Lane, Washington NE38 8AB.