Brent Music Academy

At the start of the decade, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra made a commitment to move its headquarters to Wembley Park. Since that time – and when we arrived at our new home in 2025 – we have made it our mission to celebrate the vibrancy, passion and potential of our new neighbours in the London Borough of Brent and to make sure our spirit of entrepreneurship is felt here.

We are particularly proud to be a founding partner of Brent Music Academy (BMA) – a new model for finding, training and nurturing the music professionals of tomorrow. BMA is opening up pathways for musical talent in one of London’s most diverse and creatively rich communities.  

BMA has been created in a spirit of collaboration with a cooperative of local organisations. It empowers young people in Brent with real opportunities – offering them structured training and connecting them directly with a network of high-level professionals who are committed to developing their potential and celebrating their talent. 

Curiosity breeds creativity, creativity leads to ambition, and ambition fosters excellence. But those virtues sometimes need a little help. BMA programmes are coupled with bursary funding and wraparound student and family support to ensure those who want to participate face no barriers, visible or otherwise. 

BMA offers two pathways to young people interested in a career in music:

• The Production Pathway, for students aged 13–19, introduces students to music production techniques and to skills applicable in the music industry, demonstrating the range of opportunities and roles across business, administration and production.
• The Performance Pathway, for students aged 9–19. Professional members of the RPO directly guide their young counterparts through the journey of learning to play or sing.  

We are proud to work with our partners to deliver Brent Music Academy: Brent Music Service, Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, Brent Black Music Coop, Brent Youth Foundation.

Our continued partnership with Brent Music Academy is supported by The Thistle Trust and Samuel Gardner Memorial Trust with additional support from Brent Music Service.