STELLA Litras knows a thing or two about mentors, and the valuable role they play in young people's lives.

It was while Stella was at school that she came into contact with a woman who would change her life. Stella was a teenager with attitude, struggling to fit in, when she applied for a performing arts course at Bretton Hall College near Wakefield. She was auditioned by Geraldine Connor, a theatrical visionary, singer, artistic director and cultural ambassador.

"She was hard on me and I didn't like it," recalls Stella. "I was a rebel at school, I didn't like being told what to do. I didn't realise it at first but she saw something in me."

Following the audition, Geraldine summoned Stella to a workshop for Carnival Messiah, a production she wrote, composed and directed. Blending European classical music with African musical traditions, the innovative reinvention of Handel's Messiah featured a cast of more than 100 people singing, rapping, dancing, steel drumming and stilt-walking. It opened at West Yorkshire Playhouse in 1999 and was later performed in Trinidad and Tobago. In 2007, to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of the Slave Trade Act, it was staged in the grounds of Harewood House.

The ambitious production fused cultures and performers from dance, music, drama and poetry. The community cast was made up largely of people from auditions, like Stella, who joined a line-up of professional performers.

"It was an amazing experience to be part of it. We developed it and brought in different students," says Stella. "After the Messiah workshop Geraldine asked me to go to Trinidad. I met artists like Ravi Shankar and Nitin Sawhney, it was incredible."

When Stella graduated she spent time in Trinidad collaborating with singers such as Candi Staton and Peabo Bryson, and landed a job as a backing singer to Motown legend Martha Reeves. "It was great, but because I'd already worked with Geraldine I wasn't fazed by them," says Stella. "She helped my confidence grow, and taught me to have faith in my abilities."

Following Geraldine's death in 2011, an organisation was founded to continue her work with young people. One of the Geraldine Connor Foundation's main projects is Caution Bradford, a 12-week programme for emerging singers and songwriters aged 14 to 21. Based at the Brathay Trust building on Stott Hill, it offers youngsters opportunities to develop recording skills in a studio setting and opens the door of an industry that may well otherwise be closed to them.

The Foundation continues Geraldine's legacy of providing performance opportunities to a wide range of people, across cultures, and collaborating with artists and partners on staging productions across the UK.

As one of the Caution Bradford tutors, Stella passes on skills she developed as a student, with Geraldine's guidance.

"My work is fuelled by the work I did with Geraldine," says Stella. "I know what it's like to be one of those young people - I didn't know I had any talent until Geraldine brought it out of me. If you have a mentor, they can bring out the best in you.

"Working on Carnival Messiah really inspired me. It involved 120 performers and was a joyous experience, it inspired me to set up a youth group for kids who could sing, but felt there was nothing out there for them.

"Caution Bradford offers the opportunity to develop songwriting skills, collaborate with singers and a band of experienced musicians, and record material in a studio. They write and record their own material and we bring them on stage to perform with us."

Stella runs the course with Leeds musician Cleve Freckleton, who mentored singer Corrine Bailey Rae. Caution Bradford success stories so far include two young singers reached the final rounds of BBC1 talent contest The Voice.

"We have some great talent," says Stella. "We do some improvisation to start with, then work on their skills and strengths. It's been so rewarding to see their confidence grow throughout the programme. Knowing that we believe in them helps them to believe in themselves.

"Geraldine was a big figure in my life, when I was a rebellious schoolgirl with no direction. I hope I can be as inspirational to the young people I'm working with now."

The Geraldine Connor Foundation recently appointed Lladel Bryant as Creative Projects Producer. Lladel is the co-founder of Chicken Shop Shakespeare, producing Shakespeare plays in contemporary settings.

He said: "Our plans for the next few years are exciting and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to work with performers from across different cultures and generations. To provide support and build people's confidence through performance is so rewarding. Having had the mentorship and support of so many veteran and practising artists from Leeds, it is a pleasure to be able to pass on the wisdom that has been so instrumental to my own success so far."

Forthcoming creative projects include the Geraldine Connor Summer School, two-week intensive workshops in Bradford and Leeds; a partnership with Opera North, a performance project in North Yorkshire and a national project rivalling the scale of Carnival Messiah.

* For more about the Geraldine Connor Foundation, visit gcfoundation.co.uk or email info@gcfoundation.co.uk

Emma Clayton