Battersea Park in Concert: Outreach Programme

As part of the Battersea Park in Concert series, taking place from 23–25 August 2025, Wandsworth Music and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra worked with local primary schools to provide high-quality musical experiences for children and young people in and around Battersea Park.

Building on the success of last year’s outreach programme, this year’s initiative forms part of Wandsworth’s London Borough of Culture 2025 celebrations. Taking inspiration from the Sunday night’s Night at the Movies, the artistic team collaborated with participating school groups to compose and create original music.

These creative sessions encouraged pupils to explore their musicality and compositional skills, while also offering schools the opportunity to strengthen or establish connections with other local primary schools as they came together to perform as groups—celebrating community, creativity, and culture through music. 

Schools that participated in this exciting programme were:

• Sacred Heart RC Primary School, Este Rd, London SW11 2TD
• St George’s C of E Primary School, Corunna Rd, Nine Elms, London SW8 4JS
• St Mary’s RC Primary School, 7 St Joseph's St, Lockington Rd, Nine Elms, London SW8 4EN
• Westbridge Academy, 6 Bolingbroke Walk, London SW11 3NE

Children and teachers who’ve taken part in the inspiring music workshops with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra are in for a real treat this August as they’ve been invited to attend Battersea Park in Concert, with complimentary tickets for themselves and their families.

After getting hands-on experience composing original music with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, pupils will now have the chance to see them take to the main stage.

It promises to be a truly special occasion. Across two days, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra will perform live - bringing to life the creativity and collaboration the children have been part of. 

About the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra:

RPO’s unique position in the orchestral world is powered by its mission to enrich lives through orchestral experiences that are uncompromising in their excellence, wide-ranging in their appeal and inclusive in their delivery. Performing approximately 200 concerts each season and with a worldwide live and online audience in excess of 60 million people, the RPO acts as a cultural ambassador for the UK on the world stage and enhances the social and cultural fabric of local communities at home through a wide range of community, education, inclusion and wellbeing programmes. For more information, visit https://www.rpo.co.uk

Players involved: 

• Charlotte Harding, workshop leader and composer 
• Josh Cirtina, bass trombone
• Adam Collins, tuba 
• Joe Cowie, double bass
• Millie Lihoreau, french horn
• Sali-Wyn Ryan, violin
• Liz Varlow,  viola
• George White, viola
• Rupert Whitehead, trombone

Renowned saxophonist YolanDa Brown visited Griffin Primary School to deliver an exclusive music workshop, giving children a unique opportunity to engage with a world-class artist. This interactive session inspired pupils to explore rhythm, melody, and improvisation while deepening their understanding of musical expression.

Through this exciting initiative, the children benefited from high-quality music-making experiences and had the chance to strengthen creative learning and foster a love of music that extends beyond the classroom.

Children and teachers taking part in these workshops will also receive complimentary tickets to Battersea Park in Concert this August. There, they and their parents or carers will be able to see the YolanDa Brown perform live on the big stage - offering an unforgettable experience and further inspiration as they witness the full power of music-making in action. This unique opportunity not only celebrates artistic excellence but also supports Wandsworth’s London Borough of Culture 2025 mission to place creativity, culture, and community at the heart of every young person’s experience

About YolanDa Brown

For some, world-wide touring and critically acclaimed albums would be satisfaction enough. Not for YolanDa Brown, she wears many hats and wears them with passion… Her music is a delicious fusion of reggae, jazz, and soul. She has toured with The Temptations, Jools Holland, Billy Ocean and currently composing music for the iconic Sesame Street.

Awarded an OBE for services to music, music education and broadcasting by his Majesty the King. YolanDa is Chair of BPI (BRIT Awards / Mercury Prize). A music education champion, she was Youth Music Chair for six years, sits on the Arts Council National Council, a Prince’s Trust ambassador and appointed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to sit on the arts and media honours committee. YolanDa is Chancellor of the University of Kent.

A BAFTA nominee, her CBeebies series "YolanDa’s Band Jam" won Royal Television Society Best Children’s Programme. On the airways she presents on Jazz FM, Scala Radio, Magic FM, and BBC Radio 4. After a Guinness World Record breaking crowdfund YolanDa launched her own music venue and restaurant, Soul Mama in Spring 2024. YolanDa loves to drive fast cars around racetracks in her spare time and can even rattle off a Rubik’s Cube in around five minutes (on a good day). A real renaissance woman set to reach new heights.

Battersea Park in Concert has partnered with prolific local music charity World Heart Beat Music Academy to celebrate the pioneering singer Evelyn Dove and her contribution to both Wandsworth’s and our national cultural heritage.

Raised in Battersea, Evelyn Dove was a trailblazing British singer and actress who rose to prominence in the 1920s as a cabaret performer and radio star. In 1925, she made history as the first Black woman to be broadcast on BBC Radio, and went on to perform across Europe, the United States, India and beyond.

In honour of Evelyn, this summer World Heart Beat is bringing together a group of outstanding young musicians from its programmes to form a specially curated band. Together, they will research, rehearse and develop key jazz repertoire from Evelyn Dove’s era.

Supported by London Borough of Culture, this project is part of World Heart Beat’s ongoing work to nurture the next generation of professional jazz artists in Wandsworth and beyond.

The project will culminate in a high-profile live performance by the ensemble, opening the stage on the Jazz day at Battersea Park in Concert on Monday 25 August and sharing their passion and creativity with a large public audience in a celebration of music, local heritage and young talent.

About World Heart Beat

World Heart Beat is a pioneering music charity and music and performance centre based in South West London, dedicated to transforming the lives of young people through the power of music. Renowned for its inclusive ethos and exceptional standard of music education, World Heart Beat offers instrumental learning, mentorship, and performance opportunities for young people aged 5–25, many of whom come from low-income or underrepresented backgrounds.

Through world-class performances and inspiring talent development, World Heart Beat nurtures the next generation of artists across jazz and classical to contemporary and global music traditions. Serving as a beacon of hope and aspiration for the next generation. 

World Heart Beat is a place of joy and ambition. It welcomes some of the greatest artists, from here in the UK and internationally and is fast becoming a jewel in London’s music scene. World Heart Beat is about community, belonging, and expression, fostering unity and understanding through music and culture.