100 young singers to perform in memory of teenager killed trying to protect boy he barely knew

Young singers and spoken word artists will come together with a full symphony orchestra in memory of Malcolm Mide-Madariola who was murdered in 2018.

The group of 100 artists will perform The Endz at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in The Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, South Bank on September 23.

The Endz aims to highlight the impact of social inequality on young people’s lives.

Mr Mide-Madariola was only 17 when he was stabbed to death outside Clapham South Tube station trying to protect a 15-year-old boy he hardly knew.

Tammuz Brown, from Abbey Wood in Greenwich, was given a 16-year sentence for the murder of Mr Mide-Madariola at the Old Bailey in September 2019.

Following Mr Mide-Madariola’s death, a group of young people from Harris Academy, Peckham, working with The Multi-Story Orchestra, came together to create The Endz – a story of friendship between young people an,d the struggles they face living in an unequal society.

The Endz performer Nathaniel Casaclang said: “We created this project because we wanted to let people know what our reality is as there is not enough awareness. 

“As young people we are told that we have the power to change things, but people are still not listening to us. Nothing changes. 

“This is our way of spreading the word and we hope people will listen.”

The Office for National Statistics reported that in London, 12,786 knife offences were carried out over the 12 months leading up to March this year, compared with 11,031 for the previous year – an increase of 16 per cent.

Those involved in developing The Endz – which recently received a 2023 Royal Philharmonic Society Impact Award – have blended rap, spoken word and song to tell their story of heartbreak and loss.

The Multi-Story Orchestra is a Peckham-based community of professionals and young people, performing powerful works in unexpected venues, including car parks. 

After a decade of sold-out shows from Peckham to Birmingham, the Multi-Story Orchestra made history with the first-ever BBC Proms car park event.

Kate Whitley, co-founder of The Multi-Story Orchestra, said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing The Endz to the Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the Southbank Centre’s classical season. 

“It’s an urgent work that shows the extraordinary creativity of young people when they are given the opportunity.

“This show has something important to say about some of the problems that young people face, but it’s also a brilliant collaboration, with great musicianship and powerful storytelling – and in the end, it is positive and life-affirming.”

Pictured top: The Endz performer takes centre stage at a show in July, 2022 (Picture: The Multi-Story Orchestra)