Northeast Youth Music & Arts Festival in Haverhill Sunday

Jass Bianchi, Color in Sound founder, is a rapper, entrepreneur, activist, marketing professional and long-time youth advocate. Bianchi first started her journey assisting youth in college, when she tutored inner city children at the Nepprehan Center in Yonkers, N.Y. Following her college years, she engaged in vocal instruction for incarcerated youth in detention centers, transgender youth and youth struggling with addiction.

(An earlier version of this story appeared Aug. 6.)

The Northeast Youth Music & Arts Festival—featuring eight stages, 125 youth performances, arts, food, speakers and workshops takes place Sunday, Sept. 10—at Northern Essex Community College.

Organized by Haverhill-based nonprofit Color in Sound, the music talent being showcased ranges from award-winning young musicians who have portfolios lined with brands such as American Idol, The Voice, America’s Got Talent, NH Pavilion and Gillette Stadium to beginner musicians who are just getting their feet on the ground and looking to gain experience.

“I created the NYMA Festival with the purpose to inspire young musicians, or musicians who are just getting started. I thought of the festival about four years ago and it was kind of like a fly-by-night thought. Then, as I kept on working with the young creative community more and more, the idea just kept on repeating and evolving. I mean, why can’t local youth be stars too? Why can’t they be larger than life? They have just as much impact and pull as mainstream artists in their community,” said festival Director Jass Bianchi.

The event also features Peggy Iafrate, Strega Entertainment Group founder and former Radio Disney executive, and New England Emmy Award winning musician Devin Ferreira, as well as visual artists, dancers, film-makers and other youth creatives.

The Northeast Youth Music & Arts Festival takes place Sunday, Sept. 10, from noon to 6 p.m., at Northern Essex Community College. All-day passes are $25, and family and group packages are also available. To purchase, visit www.nymafestival.com/tickets.

Money raised will go to support youth and underserved populations through music and arts programming with events and activities that promote community involvement.