Messalonskee High School junior, Lydia Bradfield, 17, of Sidney, has been selected to participate in an international music project. The recording project, a song composed and produced by Maine singer and producer Kristyn Murphy, of Pittsfield, and composer Marianna Filippi, of Thomaston, will support the Riding Stars charity in England, UK.

Last Fall, Murphy and Filippi announced a competition for local youth to compete for a chance to be a part of the project, as a way to share experiences and teach about the music industry, according to a news release from Murphy .

“It is a great opportunity to learn something a little different from what is usually taught in school,” Murphy said in the release. “The project encompasses the different aspects of working in the music industry: from international collaborations, to rehearsals and recording in a professional recording studio, to photoshoots and interviews with international press, and then the actual release of a song.”

“When I saw the chance to audition for this project, it was something that immediately caught my interest,” said Bradfield, who submitted a YouTube audition video back in September with the hopes she might be chosen to work with Murphy and Filippi, according to the release. “I’ve been singing since I was 2 and was inspired to start playing piano by my dad,” said Bradfield. “I enjoy every minute I spend singing and playing.”

According to the release, Murphy became connected with the Riding Stars charity after a successful singing tour of the UK. The charity, started in 2017 by Dean Brockway and Polly Lambden, both of the UK, has a mission to teach lifelong transferable skills to people with special needs and disabilities through contact with horses.

She began collaborating with Filippi, a graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, after meeting the talented accordionist and composer in 2016 busking in Rockland. Filippi has scored for theatre and film and her music has been performed worldwide, including at the Welsh Millennium Centre in Cardiff, and more recently at HighScore Festival in Italy.

“I feel like in the few months of rehearsing for this project, I’ve learned so many new singing techniques and have come so far as a singer,” said Bradfield, according to the release. “Kristyn and Marianna have been so great to me and are constantly boosting my confidence. I am so thankful to be taking part in this project and look forward to what’s to come!”

The charity single for the Riding Stars charity will be released internationally in late spring and will be available for sale on all major music download sites.

To support or learn more about this project, email touringceltic@gmail.com.

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