The sheer joy of performing together: Music in Secondary Schools Trust’s 12th Annual Concert

MiSST Together Orchestra in rehearsal at the Barbican

The Music in Secondary Schools Trust’s 12th Annual Concert; Barbican Centre
Reviewed 23 April 2025

Over 300 students from beginners to Grade 8 come together to celebrate 12 years of MiSST with students from 28 different schools across the country demonstrating the sheer joy of performing together

The Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST) was celebrating last month with its 12th Annual Concert at the Barbican on 23 April 2025. The organisation began 12 years ago with just one school and now 30 schools across the UK take part, with over 22,000 students reached through their Andrew Lloyd Webber programme.  The evening involved students from some 28 different schools across the country, ranging from those who only started playing last September to those who have reached Grade 8.

We began with the MiSST Symphony Orchestra, a large ensemble which rose to the challenge of playing movements five and six from Mahler’s Symphony No. 3. The orchestra inevitably reflects the players, with a mass of flutes and a single bassoon, with section leaders from the adult teachers. The results were nonetheless impressive. 

Next came the MiSST Together Orchestra, this featured many players performing together for the first time. The stage was full to overflowing and rather impressively, Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King was conducted by a young student conductor, his first big gig. The second piece, conducted by one of the music staff, was Peters Prado’s Mambo No. 5.

Inevitably, with so many performers, the changeover was a big task and here were were entertained by a trio of piano, clarinet and violin, the three young performers clearly having fun in the Hungarian gypsy style and impressing too. They were followed by the MiSST Voices Choir, a relatively new ensemble, directed by Matthew Hardy, and here they gave us a couple of traditional numbers and something from Hairspray.

MILO (MiSST Leaders Orchestra) aims to offer talented students who have been in MiSST partner schools the opportunity to play at a standard of at least Grade 5, whilst developing leadership skills. Here the ensemble of 15, performing without a conductor, gave highly creditable performances of Elgar’s Chanson de Matin and Hisaishi’s A town with an ocean view from the film Kiki’s Delivery Service.

MiSST Symphony Orchestra and massed voices in rehearsal at the Barbican

Another young student conductor was in charge of the MiSST Symphony Orchestra for the premiere of Temi Adebayo’s A Tempestuous Journey, a lively, engaging and substantial new piece. Then it was the turn of the different sections of the orchestra. The strings, conducted by another student, played Florence Price’s Adoration and then the MiSST Concert Band livened things up with a Benny Goodman medly.

Then they were joined by one of the students (he also played double bass) as the piano soloist in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. He gave a sensitive, fluid account of the solo part and the orchestra proved surprisingly responsive accompanists with some terrific individual instrumental solos including the opening clarinet riff.

There were presentations to the musicians of the year, three musicians who had contributed most to MiSST and three who were nominated by partner schools and will receive an instrument. The organisation still keeps growing and next year there will be 35 partner schools!

Then everyone came together, MiSST Symphony Orchestra and massed choir (ie everyone else) to fill the stage to overflowing for Circle of Life from Elton John and Tim Rice’s The Lion King.