‘Everyone who was there cannot stop talking about it’ – St Andrew’s C of E
Our 2025-26 season ended with a bang (and a shake, rattle and clap) as guest soloist Adriano Adewale led a series of percussion workshops across Brighton & Hove schools.
Eighty secondary school pupils from Varndean, Patcham High, Cardinal Newman and Brighton College explored rhythm as a starting point for composition through voice, body percussion and Brazilian instruments. The masterclass was followed by a sold-out recital at Brighton College’s Cairns Theatre, blending Brazilian instruments with string soloists and piano.
‘I learned that there are many different forms of instrument; even with just your body and voice you can create music.’ – Patcham High Pupil
At St Andrew’s C of E in Hove, 385 junior school pupils engaged in a joyful assembly recreating sounds of the rainforest using tapping, call and response, and bird song.
‘Adriano’s assembly was absolutely phenomenal. Everyone who was there cannot stop talking about it. The children who took part in the workshop absolutely loved it and came back completely buzzing.’ – Music Lead, St Andrew’s C of E
To finish, Adriano took to the Brighton Dome stage for our season finale Sounds of Brazil, premiering Joanna MacGregor’s new percussion concerto Para Adriano. 18% of the audience were young people and their families, joining on our £1 Under-18 tickets or on complimentary school tickets sponsored by Travelbound.
If you’re a school or youth group interested in participating in our music education workshops, please contact Gill Davies on gill.davies@brightonphil.org.uk or 01273234801 to find out what’s coming up.
This project was made possible by our corporate sponsor Travelbound and two generous grants from the Marchus Trust and the Chalk Cliff Trust.