Croydon Composers 2018 brings positivity to Croydon through collaborative music

Chad Greggor

UK Apache performing with producer Shri Sriram and members of Croydon Composers 2018

Members of Peace Partners attended an exciting collaborative music project at Croydon Boxpark on Sunday 2nd December, featuring Croydon artists from different backgrounds combining to perform inspiring compositions.

UK Apache, well known for his 1994 hit ‘Original Nuttah’, closed the Croydon Composers 2018 show with 'Get Up' performed with Badmarsh and Shri. He had a message of peace for the crowd: “I don’t like the violence that’s going on,” he said, referencing the increasing trend of violent crime in London.

Mayor of Croydon Bernadette Khan also attended the event and gave a brief message.She said: “The issue of knife crime and lives being lost is awful,” adding, “lives must not go so terribly and so awfully.”

Mayor of Croydon Bernadette Khan speaks with UK Apache at Croydon Composers 2018

Mayor of Croydon Bernadette Khan also attended the event and gave a brief message.She said: “The issue of knife crime and lives being lost is awful,” adding, “lives must not go so terribly and so awfully.”

The show opened with groups of young people performing together from Sangeetha UK, Croydon Music and Arts and Music Relief Foundation.They combined to perform with classical strings and brass, sitars, rap and R&B flavoured vocals.

Katie Rose, who performed at Peace Partner’s Waves of Change forum, made an appearance on stage with Indian classical singer and guitarist Mithun Mohan.

Katie Rose and Mithun Mohan

The show was produced by Shri Sriram, a Croydon resident and award-winning composer, musician and producer. Shri has been integral to Croydon Composers, which had its first show in 2017, he told Peace Partners about the purpose of this project. He said: “It’s super that Britain is a multi-cultural place and it’s so important that we celebrate our differences and say: ‘what can I learn from you?’”

Every performance featured a melding of cultures, which both acknowledged and challenged the differences between them.

Shri Sriram and Silvastone

Shri said: “Each culture has their own peculiarities, it’s important to celebrate these differences and try to change some of the perceptions of those peculiarities.”

The message of peace and positivity proved to be a natural outcome of a show built around collaboration, understanding and a celebration of culture.