New Covent Garden Market was the centre of an international piano festival for 90 minutes this week as award-winning local jazz pianist Emile Hinton played from midday to 1.30pm in the Atrium of The Food Exchange.

Inspired by the elm tree, a timeless symbol of our Nine Elms community, the international Piano in The Elms festival created and run by local charity World Heart Beat is a joyous celebration of connection through the captivating power of piano, featuring dazzling performances from world-class artists, intimate café concerts and inspiring masterclasses.

Sahana Gero, MBE, is the founder of World Heart Beat (WHB), a registered charity based in Nine Elms.

Emile is a pianist and composer emerging from the heart of the London jazz scene. A mentee of renowned UK pianist Julian Joseph, he graduated with first-class honours from Trinity Laban Conservatoire and recently spent three months at the Tribeca Jazz Institute in NYC, studying with some of New York’s top musicians. In 2023, Emile was honoured with the Tina May Musician’s Company Young Jazz Musician of the Year. As the pianist for jazz legends Ricky Ford (Charles Mingus, Ellington Orchestra) and Jazz Messenger Jean Toussaint (Art Blakey, McCoy Tyner), Emile has performed at top venues across the UK and Europe, including Ronnie Scott’s, The Jazz Café, The Barbican and Pizza Express, working with their ensembles and leading his own diverse projects across multiple genres.

Emile captivated the Food Exchange audience, while photographer Clive Boursnell captured the moment.

And now he’s played the Food Exchange, just for our 100 guests from the market and the local community!

The free-to-attend event featured food provided by The Noble Spread, a member of Mission Kitchen, and coldpressed FU We Make Juice from Fresh Union, which inspired Emile to improvise a tune dedicated to “the best orange juice I have ever tasted!”

The piano recital was enjoyed by a diverse community from across Nine Elms.

And that wasn’t all…

Alongside the solo piano concert and in the spirit of truly celebrating our own community with the people of Nine Elms, there was another chance to enjoy the exhibition and photographs of New Covent Garden that were first unveiled last September at our exhibition - Wholesale Market Life Through the Lens of Clive Boursnell.

NCGM recognised Clive’s lifetime of dedication to the market with an exhibition of his favourite, largely unseen work from the last 20 years. The great man was on hand again to talk people around the photos.

Photographer Clive Boursnell spent time talking with guests about his photography of the Market.

World Heart Beat (WHB) is a registered charity founded by Sahana Gero, MBE in 2009. It comprises a music academy, concert hall and recording studios. The aim is to transform lives through exceptional music education, professional training, and performance opportunities, empowering every young person to thrive through music.

WHB is a place where a five-year-old can walk through the door and feel like a musician, and a world-class performer can know and feel that it is a place for them too, truly a community where music makes a difference. As a cultural destination, WHB at Embassy Gardens bridges cultures and generations through music, celebrating global diversity while providing a platform for great artists and uplifting humanity.