25 October 2025 was HMDT Music’s 30th Birthday!
We’re extremely proud to share our achievements over the past 30 years and celebrate our success in developing award-winning projects that have had a transformational impact on so many people.
Over the next few weeks we will be sharing a Retrospective of some of our ground-breaking projects and experiences here and on our social media.
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Over the past three decades we have:
Worked with over 60,000 participants and reached around 100,000 audience members;
Commissioned and performed over 130 new works;
Received 3 national awards, 7 smaller ones and numerous nominations;
Worked with over 600 schools;
Delivered over 150,000 workshops, lessons, rehearsals and group sessions;
Given over 2,000 performances;
Worked in 7 custody settings and with over 15 YOTs, Probations and PRUs;
Worked with over 150 partners in 17 different counties of England, over 15 London boroughs and 5 countries.
Throughout, we have maintained our commitment to artistic excellence, innovation, community and inclusivity in our mission to offering all young people, particularly those most disadvantaged, inspiring opportunities to enrich learning and transform lives.
Our thanks go to all the amazing funders, supporters, partners, artists, teachers, volunteers, staff and of course participants, who have helped us on our journey and enabled us to continue thriving despite the plethora of challenges facing arts organisations that we have overcome and continue to face.
Thank you!
Tertia Sefton-Green
CEO
The first story in our 30th Anniversary Retrospective celebrates #BlackHistoryMonth with Shadowball
In a time of segregation, when jazz and baseball flourished, a courageous group of men struggled to achieve their dream despite the odds…
2010-12
Primary School jazz opera about segregated black baseball players in the 1930s. With a baseball project and education resources. National Tour 2012
Find out more visit the 30th Birthday page for Shadowball
Watch the Story behind Shadowball on Vimeo
We continue our 30th Anniversary Retrospective with our first commission The Hackney Chronicles.
In essence an opera for children, by children, The Hackney Chronicles charts four periods of Hackney's history to support curricular learning: a living, breathing, all singing example of how music is actively bringing a multi-cultural and diverse community together, creating a greater understanding of its present by celebrating its past in song.
2001
Touring opera for primary schools to perform celebrating four periods of Hackney’s history. Includes cross-curricular resources.
Find out more visit the 30th Birthday page for The Hackney Chronicles
AWARDS:
David Bedford Education Award
Excellence in Musical Theatre Award
2014-18
First World War project and performances about ethnic minority soldiers. With artefacts, puppetry, composition workshops and cross-curricular resources.
Find out more visit the 30th Birthday page for Trench Brothers
More about this ground-breaking project:
Revisit the Trench Brothers Schools Projects Legacy Site
Explore the Trench Brothers Education Zone
And other links to Trench Brothers content from 2014-18
On London Fields
We continue our 30th Anniversary Retrospective with On London Fields.
In 2002, HMDT Music launched Operaction Hackney, a programme offering adult language and literacy courses which would lead to the production of a new community opera for Hackney. With learners and a wide range of musical groups contributing to the new work through writing and composition workshops with librettist Alasdair Middleton and composer Matthew King, On London Fields was born. Performed at Hackney Empire in 2004 by several different community performing groups from across the borough.
AWARDS
Royal Philharmonic Society Award Winner
2004
Community Opera about a local prophetess in 17th Century Hackney. Created as part of Operation Hackney, Skills for Life Courses.
Find out more visit the 30th Birthday page for On London Fields
Relive Confucius Says as part of our 30th Anniversary Retrospective.
In May 2007, nine schools from the East Hackney Consortium Education Action Zone commissioned HMDT Music was commissioned to create a piece of work celebrating the cultural richness of China to celebrate the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games. The result was Confucius Says, a large-scale programme which engaged over 3500 students, staff and artists in both cross-curricular work and a range of creative activities culminating in a spectacular new opera performed by a cast of 350 at the Hackney Empire in July 2008.
2008
A large-scale programme which engaged over 3500 students, staff and artists and resulted in a spectacular new opera performed by a cast of 350
Find out more visit the 30th Birthday page for Confucius Says
AWARDS
Royal Philharmonic Society Award Winner
Fasten your seat belts and stow your tray tables it is The World Was All Before Them. Part of our 30th Anniversary Retrospective.
In February 2003, a partnership was formed between HMDT Music, Jubilee Primary School and Creative Partnerships to create a new primary school opera based on the real stories of how students’ parents came to Hackney. The Jubilee Opera Project involved the whole school community, culminating in performances of a new work The World Was All Before Them, which aimed to contribute on an artistic and emotional level to the reality of being a refugee, and celebrate the richness and contribution derived from the arrival of new peoples to the local area.
2004
The Jubilee Opera Project involved the whole school community
Find out more visit the 30th Birthday page for The World Was All Before Them