East London schools join with BBC Singers to celebrate planet Earth

Around a hundred children from three east London schools performed with the BBC Singers in a celebration of planet Earth at UCL's new campus on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford.

The backdrop for the performance on Friday 6 October, entitled Earth, Air and Moon, was the magnificent 8-metre-wide Gaia globe artwork by Luke Jerram that gently spins in the vast atrium of the campus’s Marshgate building.

Students taking part were from nearby Bobby Moore Primary and Secondary Academy in Stratford, Hillyfield Primary Academy in Walthamstow and St Winefride’s Catholic Primary School in Manor Park.

Following workshops and rehearsals in their schools led by BBC Associate Conductor for Learning and director of the performance Nicholas Chalmers, the students joined together with the BBC Singers as one choir to create a joyful and thought-provoking performance.

Songs included Laura Mvula’s Sing to the Moon and the 1960’s classic Moon River by Henry Mancini. The performance was recorded and an extract was broadcast shortly afterwards on BBC Radio 3’s drivetime show In Tune and the network’s Breakfast show on Saturday morning.

Both the BBC and UCL are partners in East Bank, the UK’s newest cultural quarter at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where London College of Fashion, UAL also opened a new site last month. The collaboration is a tantalising preview of exciting things to come as the two universities are joined over the next few years by Sadler’s Wells East, V&A East and the new BBC Music Studios.

The bringing together of local young voices with the BBC Singers on the UCL East campus also marks the first of many collaborations set to engage the public with the Gaia globe artwork, itself a constant reminder on the Park of the need to cherish and protect our planet.

Teacher Ashley Kinnair, Director of Creative Arts at Bobby Moore Academy, said: "This has been a terrific experience for our students and I’m proud of the way they have worked together and given everything to this performance. All the children involved have learnt new skills, not just musical skills but also team-working and communication skills. It’s been fantastic for them to experience working with internationally renowned musicians and then to perform in one of the top ten universities in the world. They have both excelled and enjoyed themselves while at the same time reflecting on the passion that we all share, the future of our planet.”

 

Pupils from both the Bobby Moore Primary and Secondary Academy were amongst the 100-strong choir. 

12-year-old Glenn Meta, a pupil in Year 8, said: “It’s been fun to sing with our primary school choir too and we’ve all learnt lots of new songs. The BBC Singers sound really good, and it’s been great to work with them. I really like the building too and the chance to sing around the Gaia globe. We’re here singing together, and we all need to tackle climate change together.”

BBC Associate Conductor, Learning, Nicholas Chalmers said: “It has been a huge privilege to work with so many inspiring young people and teachers on such an uplifting and profound project. The combined power of music and song alongside the spectacular Gaia globe artwork will live long in our memories, as will the passion and energy of all the participants. I would like to thank the BBC Singers and all our performers for bringing the vision for Earth, Air and Moon to life so beautifully.”

UCL Head of Public Art Sam Wilkinson said: “Our new campus is designed for collaboration, teaching and research focusing on finding solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing the planet. The Gaia globe is a constant reminder of our collective responsibility to safeguard the Earth and the atmosphere around it. We are grateful to our East Bank partners the BBC and all the students that have taken part in and the teachers that have supported this stunning performance. This is the first of many opportunities for the public and our student and academic communities to engage people with big questions around topics like sustainability and biodiversity, as well as the role that art and creativity can play in creating a better world.”

Photo credits: BBC / Mark Allan

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