Musicians and Camden students blend hip-hop with Baroque in a trailblazing collaboration
Musicians and students fuse hip-hop with Baroque music in a groundbreaking partnership
1 hour ago
Wendy HurrellLondon
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
A professional orchestra rooted in a state school and street dancers moving to Bach’s timeless melodies—two worlds that rarely intersect, yet they flourish together at a north London secondary school thanks to a pioneering program launched five years ago.
Emmanuel and Jeriah burst into the music room with bright smiles, eager energy, and confident handshakes.
These remarkable teenagers are here to discuss Breaking Bach, a performance project that pairs young street dancers with orchestral music penned 300 years ago by German composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
The initiative began when the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) made Acland Burghley School in Camden its permanent home in 2020.
Jeriah, 15, noticed posters around the school and auditioned to join the professional dancers.
“It was so different,” he says.
“With street dance we focus on hitting the right beats, but with classical music it’s more about flowing with the music.”
Jeriah laughs when asked if Bach now sits on his playlist, admitting, “Classical music is something I wouldn’t listen to back then.”
Yet after digging into the project, classical music now informs his choreography.
Fellow dancer Emmanuel, 14, has also gained a deeper understanding of Bach’s music, noting, “It’s very complex.”
“I’ve learned to appreciate it a lot more and not call it ‘grandpa music’.”
Emmanuel adds, “It’s broadened my horizons. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know Breaking Bach has helped prepare me for it.”
Behind the scenes, Harvey, 15, served as the sound engineer for London previews of Breaking Bach.
He shared, “Before joining the orchestra, I wouldn’t have considered sound engineering as a career. We explored different pathways in the industry—lighting, sound, cinematography.”
Working on the show under the direction of Olivier Award-winning choreographer Kim Brandstrup gave him a “sense of achievement” and opened a new world.
Harvey has since become a youth MP in Camden, illustrating how such partnerships can boost confidence and skills beyond music education.
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
The OAE is the UK’s first professional orchestra to maintain a permanent residency at a state secondary school. Its office sits just off the playground, and musicians rehearse in the school hall.
Musicians also run workshops for pupils—hours later, those same students take the stage at the Southbank Centre.
The orchestra’s presence has embedded itself within school life and catalyzed a measurable improvement in exam results.
Over the past five years, the GCSE music pass rate has jumped from 24% to 77—at a school with above-average numbers of students with special educational needs and those eligible for free school meals, or who have lived in care.
Each year, the OAE education program reaches 17,000 young people, many with limited access to live classical music.
Musicians say involving students in their work has rejuvenated their own creativity and served as a powerful source of inspiration.
This north London residency has been described as a “win-win” for all parties involved.
Crispin Woodhead, chief executive of the OAE, stated, “Our story isn’t about one school or one orchestra alone: it’s about how cultural groups can rethink their role in society and bring the arts to the broader community. We remain the only professional UK orchestra with a permanent base in a state secondary school.”
The OAE is now urging other organizations to follow suit.
Breaking Bach was staged at the Edinburgh International Festival and is streaming on Marquee TV.
Would you support more collaborations that blend classical and contemporary art forms in schools, or do you think traditional curricula should stay separate? Share your thoughts in the comments.
