ODYSSEY SCHOOLS PROGRAMME

Education is a vital and important part of what Odyssey does and we’re delighted that in our 2025-26 season we will be resident in Bousfield Primary School in Earl’s Court.

Find out more about the opportunities we can provide for your students, why we do what we do and testimonials from previous students and teachers who have been involved with us.

If you're a teacher at a state school who'd like to get involved with our programme, please email education@odysseymusic.org to contact Phoebe Halpern, our schools programme manager.

What we offer your students:

  • Free tickets to all our concerts

  • Free in-school workshops about the music before the concert, to introduce students to the pieces being played

  • Free drinks reception before the concert or during the interval with members of the orchestra and their instruments

2025 Impact Report

OUR GOALS

Less than 2% of the concert-going public is under 25 (The Audience Agency, 2017 (most up-to-date survey)). Many young people are unfamiliar with, and possibly even intimidated by, the idea of a live classical orchestral concert. As a result, under-18s are missing out on a crucial element of cultural history and the opportunity to have enjoyable and inspiring musical experiences. One of the central aims of Odyssey is to improve access to, and enjoyment of, the concert hall experience, especially for the younger demographic. This is achieved in part by offering London schools, mainly from inner-city boroughs such as Southwark, the chance to bring students - free of charge - to vibrant concerts at premier London venues performed by Odyssey's talented young orchestra (aged 18-30) of professional and amateur musicians.

An engaging and imaginative concert experience

We use imaginative programming, including actors and narrative, to explain and present great orchestral works in their historical and cultural context. This way we aim to make the concert-going experience even more exciting, reaching out especially to younger adults who might otherwise be daunted or uninspired by a traditional, uninterrupted classical music performance. We actively reach out to local schools in inner London to invite them to concerts and to offer pre-concert talks and workshops. We hope that the free tickets, along with workshops and accessible, entertaining programmes, will instil a lifelong love of classical music that will lead to more diverse audiences in future. 

The audience for our January 2026 concert had over 40% attendees under 30 – significantly higher than the average national figure of 2%. We are particularly keen to reach children who rarely, if ever, have attended a concert.

What students are saying

  • “Daphnis et Chloe was my favourite. It was already my favourite piece by Ravel but the way the musicians were no longer individual players but rather all as one, was such a beautiful thing to experience. They allowed the audience to be present in the building of tension and when it was released, it was an extraordinary moment.”

  • "It is amazing what you are doing, I am very passionate about orchestral music and I know it was a very important event for young people to witness it for the first time, and you made that happen. This project will change young people’s lives hopefully for the better. Thank you"

  • “I really liked how well the music was performed and the energy of the music. I also liked the actors that came on stage, thought they were cool.”

  • "I enjoyed the atmosphere and how the sound from the orchestra filled out the entire hall. The pieces were beautiful and it was surreal seeing it live for the first time."

  • "I really enjoyed the readings that were going on during the performance. It helped me to understand the story of the piece and the emotions that it made me feel."

  • "I really enjoyed listening to the stories whilst listening to the orchestra play because it helped me understand the concert better. I loved watching the different sections of the orchestra work together to produce the pieces of music. I believe that seeing the instruments, such as the harp and double bass, play in real life was a lot more exciting. I have loved the opportunity for this experience."

  • "I enjoyed the energy in the room. The musicians were really enjoying themselves and what they were playing and you could feel that in the audience."

For our September 2023 concert, five schools brought students to our concert.

  • 50% of the students who attended said it was the first time they’d attended an orchestral concert

  • 68% of them had been to two or less orchestral concerts

  • 86% of students said they would be encouraged to go to more concerts like this

  • 100% of teachers said they were ‘very likely’ to take up a similar opportunity again in the future

For our January 2023 concert, seven schools brought students to our concert.

  • 81% of the students who attended said it was the first time they’d attended an orchestral concert 

  • 88% said the readings and narrations enhanced their enjoyment of the music

  • 100% of teachers were very likely to take up a similar offer in the future

  • 100% said that the free pre-concert talk helped build pupils' enthusiasm for the concert a lot.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

“Thank you so much for offering us the tickets. Out of the 13 students I brought, only 3 of them had been to a classical concert before and it certainly wasn’t in a venue such as QEH! All of them absolutely loved the concert – particularly the Gershwin pieces – and it meant so much to them (although you won’t have realised it) to see a soloist who looked like them and who they could relate to. Several of my boys came away asking if they could learn to play Rhapsody in Blue!”

“Congratulations on a brilliant concert! We all really enjoyed it and the children who came loved it – I’m sure it’ll leave a big impression on them. Some of the parents have been in touch saying how much they and their children enjoyed it and found it a unique experience – so just want to pass that on, too. For many this was probably their first live classical concert! Thank so you much for the opportunity to have these tickets and for coming to visit the school back in December.”

“Fantastic choice of repertoire and the concert was phenomenal - playing was fantastic and I (as well as the young people) really enjoyed the drama element.”

Odyssey’s Safeguarding Policy

Music Link International Ltd. (Company 03031030, established 1995) acts as producer of Odyssey Festival Orchestra concerts.

Please click on this link to download Music Link’s Safeguarding Policy. 

Download

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