Olympias Music Foundation
Empowering communities in Manchester through Music
Welcome to Olympias
Olympias is a grassroots music charity delivering programmes to communities in Manchester.
Since 2015, we have delivered nearly 27,000 free music lessons to children, engaging hundreds more through workshops and performances.
Olympias champions diversity in music – from instrumental lessons for children on free school meals, to community choirs for diverse women and school children - we believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to participate in music regardless of background or income, and that taking part in cultural experiences can be life-changing.
Olympias holds a bold vision of a more diverse and vibrant music industry and currently has 30 countries represented on Learn to Play and 93% of Olympias’ children are from Global Majority backgrounds. Our work highlights the crucial role that the arts play in transforming lives and advocates for social change, so that the confidence and joy that music brings really is for everyone.
We are proud that our work has been recognised for multiple awards – including the King’s Award for Voluntary Service 2023; Be Proud Awards 2019 (Creativity in the Community); Manchester Culture Awards 2018 (Promotion of Equality and Diversity) - and nominated for many more. The greatest testament of success is the 94% retention rate for children staying on our programmes, reflecting that Olympias is much more than music education. It’s about friendship, belonging, nurturing and succeeding when the odds are against you - above all, it's about happiness.
Our Projects
Free music lessons for children aged 6-16 on free school meals - join us 5-8pm Mon-Fri at Dean Trust Ardwick secondary school.
Award-winning music projects for children aged 6-11 - join us 4:30-5:30pm every Monday at the Nazarene Community Church.
Our weekly choir for young people aged 12-16 - Join us 4:30-5:30pm every Friday at the Nazarene Community Church.
Empowering diverse women through singing - join us 1-2pm every Monday at the Nazarene Community Church.
Weekly music and movement sessions for children with SEND at St John Vianney and Rodney House schools.
73 professional musicians from 27 countries - find out more about their music and their stories.
OMF Documentary 2021
Filmed and produced by Semblance Film Company, the OMF documentary follows staff and families over two days in July 2021 at our Learn to Play Open Day and Summer concert as the UK came out a national lockdown, and laid the ground for our hopes and dreams for 2022 and beyond.
"There is no opportunity anywhere else like this. This has given us a new world where we are all given equal opportunity. It bonds me to OMF more because if you look at the people in the OMF, it is a cross-section of the community... It is not an elite group."
- Mother of four children who learn an instrument through OMF.
