A group of ex-Harris Academy pupils, who wrote a musical tribute following the death of their friend, are thriving as paid musicians, performing in a professional orchestra.
The Multi-Story Orchestra (MSO) started back in 2011 when two composers wanted to make orchestral music accessible to everyone.
The Orchestra – made up of professional musicians and young artists – started playing at the car park at Peckham Levels, which is where they play now every summer. The unusual location has become their trademark.
The ex-Harris Academy Peckham pupils came together with the MSO to create The Endz, an emotional musical about gang culture which premiered in 2021.
They have just won a Royal Philharmonic Award for the piece and continue to perform it along with The Orchestra. The next show will be at the Southbank Centre in September.
The group now meets weekly to write and compose music, and they are paid as musicians who perform in collaboration with The MSO.
The Young Creatives started in 2020 after some of the young artists from Peckham started making a piece of music in response to the tragic death of one of their friends.
Peckham teenager Malcolm Mide-Madariola lost his life after being stabbed three times with a ‘Zombie-style hunting knife’ outside Clapham South tube station in November 2018. His killer was sentenced to sixteen years imprisonment in 2019.
One of the Young Creatives, Angel Facey, 17, said the group is a ‘safe space’ for them to be themselves. “It’s nice to be able to come here and put ideas out there and not be judged for it,” she explained.
“It’s a safe space for us to make mistakes. And that is good for us to develop as artists. They really teach us to have freedom of the mind here.”
Prince Shodipe, 17, who plays the drums, said being in the group ‘brings him joy.’ “It has opened up musical opportunities for me,” he said.
“It fills me with joy coming here. Knowing that we’re going to create something we can have pride in and experimenting with different instruments. We all contribute to the creation of the piece.”
He added that he thinks it should be implemented at every school. “It’s a great experience for kids to learn and develop in music.”
Their first show of the summer ‘Verified’ is a musical depicting how a young person’s mind can spiral because of social media. They will be performing it at Bold Tendencies car park at Peckham Levels to kick off their summer programme. Click here to watch a snippet from the rehearsal.
Tickets are on sale now for the shows on June 8th & 9th.
The Multi-Story Orchestra will perform Verified at Bold Tendencies at Peckham Levels from 7pm both days.
Bold Tendencies, Floors 7-10, Peckham Multi-Storey Car Park, SE15 4ST.
