🎵 Introducing: Meet the Creators 🎵
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At the Prison Choir Project, we’re privileged to collaborate with some of the UK’s most exceptional musicians—artists who bring not just skill, but compassion and vision to our work within prisons.
Today marks the launch of our new #MeetTheCreators series, where we’ll be highlighting the individuals behind the music. These are the creative minds who generously share their time and talent to inspire change, build community, and bring the power of music to places often forgotten.
We look forward to sharing their stories—and celebrating the vital role of the arts in rehabilitation and transformation.

Pink and Green visit the prison, 2024, Polaroid, 8.8 × 10.7 cm Rory Pilgrim

As part of the programme celebrating 25 years of Art on the Underground, a new sound artwork by 2023 Turner prize nominated artist Rory Pilgrim will be presented at Waterloo station in July. Go Find Miracles has emerged from a forthcoming feature film, titled pink & green; a long-term project working with those affected by the criminal justice system and will feature singers that have been involved with the Prison Choir Project. The work will be heard at Waterloo Underground station along the travelator connecting the Northern and Jubilee lines, between 14-25 July 2025. 


Rory Pilgrim works collaboratively and in dialogue with others, across music composition, performance, film, drawing and text, reflecting and redefining how we come together to shape social change. Go Find Miracles focuses on the role that the Isle of Portland, a small island in the English Channel, has played in shaping London through its quarries. Portland stone has been used to build many of London’s most iconic buildings, including the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, TfL’s historic headquarters - 55 Broadway, and Waterloo station itself. Trains to and from Portland’s closest station, Weymouth, arrive and depart from Waterloo – which acts as a gateway to the island, whose resources have built so much of the capital. 


The Isle of Portland is also the site of two prisons, HMP/YOI Portland and The Verne, and the former site of prison barge HMP Weare. The labour of the people imprisoned on the island has historically shaped its landscape, with the many stone quarries originally being worked by imprisoned people who were initially brought to Portland in 1848 to construct the 2.84-mile-long harbour breakwater. 
Expanding from Pilgrim’s long-term collaboration with communities on Portland, Go Find Miracles explores the ways that the law impacts our lives and our environment. Reflecting on the idea of a miracle as an opening for change and a prayer as a sequence of connection through the words we share with each other, the artwork will be structured around a call and response prayer. 


Go Find Miracles will be recorded underground in a Portland quarry, amongst the layers in which deep time connects us with our modern world, and on the disused Jubilee line platform at Charing Cross station: bringing voices from Portland and London together. The sound work will take the form of a conversation accompanied by music composed by Pilgrim and sung by soloist Robyn Haddon, alumni of the Prison Choir Project, and a further choir of singers with whom Pilgrim has collaborated for projects including pink & green, 2024 and RAFTS, 2022. The lyrics of the work have been written by men from HMP/YOI Portland and developed following a workshop at the Feminist Library, which used collections of intersectional feminist literature from the 1970s until the present day to reflect on the impact of the law, justice, and resources of repair. Constituting a prayer of call and response that ultimately traces a 10-minute loop without end, Go Find Miracles asks, if cycles of harm can be broken, if we break the loop, is it here we find space for miracles?


Go Find Miracles will be heard alongside visual artworks by Pilgrim depicting songbirds carrying messages between London and Portland. These drawings will be installed throughout Waterloo station and will make visible the listening experience and the ripple of connection between the two places explored in the work. Go Find Miracles will also be accessible through a QR code on a poster campaign across the Underground, extending the connection of the work and those involved across London. An expanded leaflet documenting the development of Go Find Miracles will also be available to collect from the station. 


Art on the Underground’s audio commission series is developed as part of a new strand of collaborative, community art commissioning working with the Mayor of London’s Culture and Community Spaces at Risk programme (CCSaR). This programme realises an annual sound commission developed through engagement with the CCSaR programme and the communities around Underground stations to spotlight the work of organisations who face structural barriers to sustaining space in the capital and to create and share resonances from them across the city. The work has been developed in collaboration with The Feminist Library in Peckham, who are a part of the CCSaR programme.
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About Art on the Underground
Art on the Underground invites artists to create projects for London’s Underground that are seen by millions of people each day, changing the way people experience their city. Incorporating a range of artistic media - from painting, installation, sculpture, digital and performance, to prints and custom Tube map covers - the programme produces critically acclaimed projects that are accessible to all, and which draw together London’s diverse communities. Since its inception, Art on the Underground has presented commissions by UK-based and international artists including Jeremy Deller, Yayoi Kusama, Mark Wallinger, and Tania Bruguera, allowing the programme to remain at the forefront of contemporary debate on how art can shape public space.

About Rory Pilgrim
Rory Pilgrim (Bristol, 1988) works in a wide range of media including songwriting, composing music, film, music video, text, drawing and live performances. Centred on emancipatory concerns, Pilgrim aims to challenge the nature of how we come together, speak, listen and strive for social change through sharing and voicing personal experience. Strongly influenced by the origins of activist, feminist and socially engaged art, Pilgrim works with others through different methods of dialogue, collaboration and workshops. In an age of increasing technological interaction, Rory's work creates connections between activism, spirituality, music and how we form community locally and globally from both beyond and behind our screens.


Recent Solo Shows include: Chisenhale Gallery (2024), Landhuis Oud Amelisweerd - Centraal Museum Utrecht (2024), WAMX, Turku (2022), Kunstverein Braunschweig (duo-2021), Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe (2020), Between Bridges, Berlin (2019) Ming Studios, Boise (2019), Andriesse-Eyck Gallery, Amsterdam NL (2018) and South London Gallery (2018). In 2019, Pilgrim was the winner of the Prix de Rome and was in 2023 nominated for the Turner Prize. 


About pink & green
pink & green is a forthcoming feature film, which follows an exhibition of the same name presented at Chisenhale Gallery from 17 May – 21 July, 2024. Returning to early forms of cinema as a magic lantern, Pilgrim transformed the gallery into a film yet to be inscribed on screen – with a screenplay brought to life through drawing, sound and light. The long-term project is produced by Elizabeth Graham, and the feature film produced by SMARTHOUSE, supported by De Verbeelding – a collaboration between the Mondriaan Fund and the Netherlands Film Fund.


About the Mayor of London’s Culture and Community Spaces at Risk programme 
The Mayor of London’s Culture and Community Spaces at Risk programme (CCSaR) is the only GLA programme focussed on safeguarding existing spaces across London - protecting both their social and economic value.  They provide expertise to help protect against threats to London’s cultural and community-led spaces, and directly support organisations to save spaces at risk. The Mayor of London’s Culture and Community Spaces at Risk programme (CCSaR) is working with Art on the Underground on an innovative new project which will spotlight the grassroots organisations they have supported to produce audio installations that can be heard across London Underground stations.  The intention of the project is to amplify and spotlight the work organisations do.   

Would you like to do this again?
​‘1,000,000,000%’

Pulp Fiction isn’t just a movie—it’s a cinematic adrenaline shot straight to the heart. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, this 1994 cult classic weaves together a series of interlocking crime stories drenched in razor-sharp dialogue, dark humour, and bursts of stylized violence..........

So began our recent project at HMP Wormwood Scrubs began with an electrifying performance of iconic songs from films such as Trainspotting, Pulp Fiction, and Saturday Night Fever. With surtitles projected at the back of the Chapel, the men were able to set aside their lyric sheets and fully immerse themselves in a powerful and committed performance.
The Chapel was alive with energy, filled with staff members and men from the wings, all sharing in a palpable sense of positivity and celebration.
We were privileged to be joined by four exceptional professional musicians—Tim Rose (guitar), Sam Burgess (bass), Rob Taggart (piano), and Luke Tomlinson (drums)—whose talents provided a dynamic foundation for the men's remarkable performance.
Feedback from the men below:

‘Being in the choir makes me so happy and helps a lot while being in Prison. It gives us hope that there is good in this world…'
‘Please request for more choir groups to take place more often’
‘We feel better about our situation and makes me want to live’
‘I enjoyed everything, the people the bonding’
‘Benefit is to interact with others you wouldn’t normally talk to’
’Self confidence, self esteem’
‘Everyone’s efforts towards this project has motivated me… I like the energy it gives everybody’
‘I’d like to do this on the outside’
‘It brings you towards God and makes a true bond and love for everyone’
‘I’ve never really spoken to anyone on the wing before. This cheered me up and I slept better'
‘I had real fun reminding me I don’t need to be high or drunk to sing and dance… this is just what I needed’
‘I am going to find something like this on the outside to help me’

Many thanks to everyone involved - especially the men for their enthusiasm and commitment to this project.

Read the article here:
Our prisons are in crisis. One remarkable charity is helping

I’ll Fly Away is now available to buy as a digital download. Moved to tears by the singing of the men in HMP Dartmoor, Richard Morrison wrote ‘they aren’t just imagining these emotions. They have lived them.’

​From dulcet, rich tones of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot to the plaintive Ain’t no sunshine and boisterous Folsom Prison Blues, this is one album everyone should have on their playlist. Featuring four of the finest professional musicians in the country I do hope you will consider buying a copy and supporting the Prison Choir Project.

available as a digital download soon..........

Hugely proud of all those involved in bringing this album to fruition. Some astonishing work from four of the finest musicians in the world, professional artists Al Cherry (guitar), Dan Moriyama (keyboard), Sam Burgess (bass) and Johnny de’Ath (drums). This was one of those magic moments that come around once in a blue moon and my utmost gratitude goes to the men of HMP Dartmoor for their commitment to the Prison Choir Project, and their astonishing singing on this album. Thanks to the Governor, staff and chaplaincy of HMP Dartmoor, and to Jan Capiński and Joseph Porter-Bolger for their skills in recording and producing and album of such a high calibre.  

Violinist brings new sensations to Wormwood Scrubs prison – ‘A once in a lifetime experience’
A woman stands alone on the altar, turned stage, of Wormwood Scrubs’ magnificent chapel. She lifts a violin to her chin and begins to play. Folk tunes, easy listening, then suddenly the winter section of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. But she isn’t only playing it; she’s reading the composer’s own stage directions: ‘a man walks on ice… he slips, falls to the ground,’ the music intervenes, ‘he’s back on the ice, running fast, ice breaks… the wind howls…’

‘Living drama’
I may not have got the words quite right, they were written nearly three centuries ago, but the point is that Kerenza Peacock, the woman playing the violin, blonde hair tied out of the way with glittering strands, is turning music into a living drama. From that moment, the twenty men who wandered into the chapel are hooked. So are the rest of us in the audience, the chaplains, a few visitors like me, a few staff. We immediately realise this is something special.
Perhaps the twenty men are less surprised because they are part of a group who have been taken up by the Prison Choir Project and meet regularly in the prison. It is run by Adam Green, a big kindly man, a professional baritone who set up the charity ‘to build connections between professional musicians, prisoners, ex-offenders … through the performance of opera, song and choral music.’

‘Never the same again’
This visit from Kerenza and other high quality musicians is an extension of this. His opera work has included a production of ‘Carmen’ by Bizet in HMP Dartmoor. One older man who took part in this commented, “Take a group of dispirited, demoralized and devalued men called convicts. Persuade them they can join together in producing a famous musical extravaganza … Do it in a barren, famously grim setting known as Dartmoor Jail. Make it a thunderous success. That’s what the man from ‘outside’ did. He came among us one day with his passion for music… 3 weeks later we were in Seville helping to create those Spanish rhythms. We sang with Carmen, we tried to woo those achingly pretty ‘factory girls.’ We could feel the heat of the midday – and, yes, we had our day in the sun. Now the magician is gone … but we whom you inspired, we’ll never be quite the same again. Bravo, bravo, bravo.”

Acoustic chamber 
So I suppose for Adam, inviting into the Scrubs an old mate from RADA days who has performed all over the world with some of the most famous orchestras and at the moment is based in Los Angeles where, among other gigs, she records film music such as Star Wars, was scarcely a challenge. He knew she’d entertain us. 
Following Vivaldi, we hear a piece from Bach, written after his wife died. The sadness of this is mitigated by the information that he married again a month later, although, as Kerenza points out, his twenty children obviously needed a mother. She describes Bach’s music as ‘a beautiful cathedral of sound which organises my brainwaves.’ Her next piece has an extraordinary story attached. She was in Egypt visiting the ancient pyramids and became determined to play her violin inside the King’s Chamber, perhaps even built as an acoustic chamber.

Favourite piece                                                                                                                    
Since taking an instrument inside the pyramid is forbidden, she smuggled it past the guard while her friend caused a diversion. Anyone who has been into those dark underground tombs (as I have recently) will know how awe-inspiring, if not fear-inducing they are. By the time Kerenza got to the final chamber, she was severely claustrophobic and hyper-ventilating. Quickly, she got out her violin and played the same piece she now plays for us, ‘Meditations’ by Massenet. Later, when I talk to some of the audience about their favourite piece, all pick this. Jermaine tells me he likes interesting music and rightly describes the Massenet as ‘very calming.’ Jah’one makes the same point when he links his liking of the piece to his own feelings of anger.

Kerenza Peacock – “The power of music to heal” 













Old masters
Throughout her performance, Kerenza, talks about the power of music to heal and before she starts to play some Mozart, tells us that French film star, Gerard Depardieu, who suffered from mental health problems, listened to the composer for that reason. She adds her own view that ‘the old masters knew something we’ve forgotten.’ Yet Kerenza also plays with pop groups and folk groups, so it seems music is embedded throughout her life in different guises. After a break she gives us some Dylan and the great song ‘Over the Rainbow’. She tells us ‘Music is a necessity, not a luxury,’ and I think we are all convinced.

‘Like a prayer’                                                                                                                        
Her final longer piece, the last music composed by Beethoven before his death and originally part of a string quartet, was chosen as one of the objects put in a capsule and sent to space. ‘Like a prayer’ as Kerenza says. It would certainly give a positive impression of this earth to any aliens out there. 
The audience give me more of their reaction: Bill describes the performance as ‘so emotional’, Steffon refers to ‘the drama of the moment’, Tyrell comments, ‘she’s very passionate.’ ‘Therapeutic’ is the word most used. Logan tells me about his sister who played Mozart to her bump with both her pregnancies and now both children are talented musicians as well as being part of Mensa.                                                          
Kerenza has only one small weakness: she can’t play by heart the music from the film, The Titanic, as requested. Instead, we get Bobby Shafto – a positive swap in my view. As ‘K’ comments to me, ‘It was wonderful… a once in a lifetime experience.’ So my advice to you: if you hear about the Prison Choir Project coming your way, sign up at once. 

​Looking forward to speaking at the Festival of Chichester on 12th June: festivalofchichester.co.uk/event/event-sw2-finding-harmony-behind-bars-the-prison-choir-project/ 

"Adam Green shares with us his work in prisons, some of the characters he’s met along the way, and outlines the charity’s mission to develop self-confidence, self-belief and self-determination to succeed through music, offering a way to reduce the possibility of reoffending. It promises to be an exciting, uplifting and inspiring session with live recordings from within, for example, Dartmoor Prison."

On Tuesday 28th Feb 2023, the charity is holding what they hope to be their biggest fundraiser ever at the China Exchange on Gerrard Street in Soho. It’s set to be an entertaining evening of music performed by the now legendary 'Pros and Cons,' food and wine, and speeches from former inmates along with the charity’s founder, Adam Green.

Darren, a former Dartmoor prison inmate, took a lead role in West Side Story - a musical put on by the charity inside the walls of the prison. Since then, he has been back to work with the Prison Choir Project, commenting:
“I am absolutely overawed at how happy I was for signing up! In the 15 years I’ve spent behind bars this is one project that I would do again and again. I found it helped myself belief, self-worth, self-confidence, it eased my PTSD and it stopped my craving for illicit drugs."
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Speaking on the event, Adam Green, Founder, The Prison Choir Project said: We’re really looking forward to our fundraising event later this month. It’s a chance for people to truly see and hear about the long-lasting impact the charity has. Every penny raised will go directly towards our work in Prisons. This is a busy year for us, in which we hope to stage an opera Billy Budd, by Benjamin Britten, record and release an album with the men of HMP Dartmoor and begin a new collaboration with Wormwood Scrubs, working on a weekly basis within the prison.”

To sign up for the event and support The Prison Choir Project, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/prison-choir-project-fundraiser-tickets-547470227187

This week is Prison Music Week!

Introducing the Jan Jail Jam: a national celebration of the power of music in prison!
From 23rd - 30th January, prison music charities are getting together to put on music events in prisons up and down the country. Beating Time, Sing Inside, Changing Tunes, Music in the Ville, Finding Rhythms, Prison Choir Project, The Irene Taylor Trust, and more, will be showcasing the huge variety and quality of music being made in our prisons.

Music is a life line for many inside. It takes all forms: choirs, bands, instrumentalists, song-writing, to name a few. Much of it gets recorded or performed for other people serving sentences, their families and support networks.

Music brings people together. It enables us to express deep, shared emotions. When we perform for others we prove to ourselves and to them that we have something to give and we have worth. Music also improves mental health and creates a strong sense of social inclusion.
Some of us go in every week, year-round, to build musical communities in prison. We become assets the prison can use. We sing and play at everything – from celebrations to funerals. Some of us do short intensive ambitious projects, perform original songs, write and record albums, put on operas and musical theatre productions. Whatever the medium, music has the power to transport, sooth, heal and hold us.

Why Prison Music Week?
Covid silenced all music in our prisons for over two years. Many of us provided in-cell activities remotely but this was not the same. What was missing was the connection between people making music together, the palpable energy in a room and watching people’s confidence and spirits lift week by week.

We want 2023 to be a celebration of community music - a reminder that the arts and creativity hold great value not just to individuals, but wider prison life. From the wealth of academic evidence, to prime time television shows on choirs, we all know group music-making reduces stress, builds positive relationships and improves mental health. This is more important than ever in prisons -  over 50% of the population are reported to have mental health issues.
So why now? Because at last we can! We want to support the people who live and work in prisons. The mental health crisis affects all of us, not just those in their charge. And we want to remind others – loudly – that in a climate where budget cuts and staff shortages mean huge pressures on resources, that the arts, and in particular making music together, matters. We must continue to make creative activities accessible in prison for the wellbeing of people serving sentences and the prison community as a whole. We all have the experience and evidence to show that music helps to reduce stress, violence and self-harm in prison, while also creating aspiration and hope.

​What are we doing?
As small organisations, we are banding together to support each other and raise awareness of all the music projects happening across the prisons we work in. All week our music directors and musicians in residence will be delivering choir sessions, instrument lessons, song-writing workshops, collaborative performances, and more! We will be sharing our events across social media, in print and on radio stations in prison and out.
We want this to be the first of many annual Prison Music Weeks. And we hope this will continue a much needed conversation to amplify the importance of music and creativity in our prisons. Please support us!