TikTok and Southbank Centre Launch New Classical Music Creator Initiative

The Southbank Centre and TikTok have announced the first-ever Crescendo cohort: ten UK-based classical music content creators selected for the new accelerator programme, in the Centre's 75th anniversary year, supporting emerging digital talent and bringing classical music to new, digital-first audiences.

Launched through an open call in September 2025, Crescendo supports creators who are reshaping how classical music is shared, discovered and understood online – reaching new audiences through storytelling, education and experimentation.

With nearly one million posts under #ClassicalMusic on TikTok and the hashtag growing by more than 60% in 2025, Crescendo responds to a growing appetite for accessible classical music content beyond the concert hall environment.

The cohort of content creators was selected by a panel including violinist and creator Esther Abrami, cellist and politician Baroness Thangam Debbonaire, the Southbank Centre's Head of Classical Music, Toks Dada, and TikTok's UK Artist Partnerships Lead, Lisa Skeppner.

The six-month talent development phase of the programme begins today at Classical Mixtape: A Live Takeover (5 Feb), a Southbank Centre-wide event featuring over 200 musicians from its six Resident Orchestras. Curated for the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary with under-30s audiences in mind, Classical Mixtape is presented as a series of live looping performances across multiple stages, allowing audiences to "mix" their own live classical mixtape by roaming between the stages. The first-of-its-kind event marks the cohort's first opportunity to create content around the Southbank Centre's classical music programme and the work of its Resident Orchestras.

Crescendo's curated line-up of content creators:

• Jennifer Athan (@chordsandqueens)
  Creator and host of Chords & Queens, a podcast championing women composers and rediscovering voices lost from the classical canon.
• Anya Cookson (@fashionableflute)
  Flautist whose content blends classical performance with fashion and visual storytelling, sharing her evolving relationship with her musical practice.
• Alexandra Dariescu (@alexdariescu)
  Internationally-touring concert pianist, whose content offers behind-the-scenes insight into life on the world stage, from performance to touring and the creative process.
• Sophie Kauer (@sophiekauercellist)
  Cellist and actor, who made her screen debut in the Oscar-nominated film TÁR, sharing reflections on performance, film music and creative life alongside her professional career.
• Sarah Irwin (@carahsharlotte)
  Classical singer and former film trailer producer whose content explores how classical and film music connect with audiences in a storytelling capacity.
• Cassia Belardo (@cassiabelardo)
  Arts education advocate who produces recommendation-led content that introduces classical music to new listeners and highlights its power to connect communities.
• Eugenie Dalgleish (@eugeniedalgleishviolin)
  Violinist whose content centres on recommendations and approachable pathways into classical music for new and curious audiences.
• Ellie Ajao (@elliegraceajao)
  Violinist, podcaster and founder of Down with the Patribachy, a platform spotlighting underrepresented composers and broadening perspectives on classical music.
• Athena Hawksley-Walker (@athenaoctaviaviolin)
  Musician whose content explores the versatility of classical instruments, including violin, electronic violin and piano, while exploring the boundaries between musical genres.
• Priscilla Bajomo (Sola) (@thisissola)
  Pianist, composer and artist signed to Jamz Supernova's Future Bounce, using her platform to reinterpret classical music through a contemporary lens, while championing underrepresented artistic voices.

Over the next six months, the cohort will receive free access to Southbank Centre performances and rehearsals, behind-the-scenes content opportunities, bespoke mentorship and platform training from TikTok, collaboration with digital teams, and long-term involvement through the Southbank Centre's Ambassador Scheme.

Toks Dada, Head of Classical Music at the Southbank Centre, said: “Sharing classical music with the widest possible audience is at the heart of what we do at the Southbank Centre – reaching both long-standing concertgoers and those discovering the art form for the first time with a programme that embraces everything from intimate piano recitals to our multi-arts festival powered by orchestral music, Multitudes. Crescendo is about meeting audiences where they are, and recognising the pivotal role digital platforms play in how people discover and experience culture today. We're excited to work with our very first Crescendo cohort during our 75th anniversary year to see how their work helps shape the way this art form reaches, and is understood by, audiences.”

Lisa Skeppner, UK Artist Partnerships Lead at TikTok  said: “TikTok is where people across the UK discover and fall in love with music every day, and classical is thriving through the creativity and community on the platform. Through our partnership with the Southbank Centre, Crescendo celebrates and supports British talent while opening up access to the arts for new audiences. The programme gives these ten creators the tools, access and platform to showcase classical music in ways that feel fresh, relatable and rooted in TikTok as a hub for emergent creativity.”