East London Music Group (ELMG) is a registered charity based in East London which exists to deliver music projects in the concert hall and the community. Ambitious in programming and innovative in project design, ELMG works with some of London’s leading freelance musicians and creators. Set up in 2015, the group has given a series of successful performances in East London and in festivals across the South East. It has also delivered music education projects in Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest, at Key Stage 2 and university level.

East London Music Group has a track record over the last decade of commissioning large-scale new works with a focus on illustrating important episodes of local history. These ambitious pieces have sought to connect people with the history of their area, sometimes ask important political questions, and have often involved the participation of community collaborators in performance or development. They have sought to draw historic parallels with our current times and have also attempted to widen the appreciation of new music in the local community.

Past commissions have included: 1936: An East London Uprising (2016), which told the story of the Battle of Cable Street, and A Fair Field (2022), which described the 1888 Bow Matchgirls’ Strike and the effect that had, both on the birth of the nascent trade union movement and the advancement of women’s suffrage. The latter involved four community choirs, a children’s choir, and a community wind orchestra, comprising over a hundred and fifty performers representing every decade of life from under 10 to over 80.

We are proud to have commissioned and premiered new works from composers including Edward Nesbit, Robin Haigh, Jonathan Pease, Charlotte Harding, Leo Geyer, Lloyd Coleman and Paul Edlin.

Currently, ELMG is working on its biggest and most ambitious project yet: the commission of an opera to be developed and performed in East London. It will feature professional soloists and orchestra alongside youth and community musicians.

We have a team of four administrators: Matthew Hardy & Sarah Campbell, founders, Ella Harriss, assistant producer, and Isabel White, fundraiser. We employ a variety of artists who are brought in to suit the needs of each individual project.

Our Mission Statement

Enriching the East London community through performing arts and education