Tarik O’Regan is a proud Croydonian and award-winning classical composer. His work with Croydon as this year’s London’s Borough of Culture will see him lead the borough’s first event, Oratorio of Hope, on April 1 – a night of music curated in collaboration with local creatives, schools, and the London Mozart Players.

However, with Croydon’s finances under scrutiny, the choice to spend on Borough of Culture events has not been without criticism. O’Regan explains how arts and culture might in fact be just the boost that Croydon needs.

“It’s one of these [ideas] very often used across the arts, which is the idea that it’s either/or; you are either investing in arts and culture, or you are doing something else,” O’Regan tells me.

“In this case, the idea is that [Croydon] shouldn’t be spending money on the Borough of Culture. [I]t’s one of those slightly toxic statements that assumes it’s a zero-sum game without really understanding how art and creativity are fundamental parts of any city’s economy.”

Croydon’s finances have been the subject of much controversy since the borough raised its council tax by 15% this month, following its third bankruptcy in two years.

“For better or worse, if you think about the dreaded word gentrification… creative people move in first because [there are] often large spaces which are cheaper… and what that does is suddenly makes the place more appealing to a broader range of people.

“There are not many things in life that are just fundamentally good and positive for the world, and creating something from nothing, whether that is music, sound, literature, painting, dance, whatever it is, is fundamentally positive. [I]t’s exciting and it’s new, and I think people are people are really drawn to that,” O’Regan says.

The arts contribute around £10bn to the UK economy every year and O’Regan hopes that the Borough of Culture events will bring a much-needed injection of cash to Croydon.

O’Regan tells me how the Oratorio of Hope was inspired by a poem by Croydon’s Poet Laureate, Shaniqua Benjamin. The line “as we twirl out of the spotlight playing strings with poetics” to O’Regan speaks to the importance of the Borough of Culture shining a light on individual and borough-wide talent.

“If it works, the idea is to show that music is a great uniter both in terms of the people that make it, in terms of communities, but also on a very practical level. We all are on stage and we’re all playing together and that’s the way that we live our lives, you know, here in [Croydon]. I think [it acts] as a metaphor for what I’ve always enjoyed about [Croydon]. It’s about embracing diversity and not division,” he says.

“I’m a big believer in public transport. You can’t hide, you have to meet people and you have to see people and you have to sit next to people, possibly that you wouldn’t encounter in the normal run of your life”, says O’Regan, whose south London upbringing saw him as a daily commuter on Croydon’s 64-bus route.

“I think the overall goal of the Oratorio of Hope is that it is an accurate reflection of the great…excitement around that that we should all feel.”

Aside from its financial struggles, Croydon continues to battle with its reputation. Loved by many for its diversity and character, Croydon has also been noted as a hot spot for crime and violence.

“When I moved to Manhattan in 2003, there was a certain sensibility, bizarrely, that I felt very connected with,” says O’Regan, describing the sensibilities of the Big Apple as much akin to his hometown of Croydon.

“It’s an extremely diverse place Manhattan, as was Croydon then, and is now. It’s only as I got older [that] I was aware that people would slightly snigger if you said you’re from Croydon.

“I honestly never quite understood what the issue was. [F]rom my perspective it was great. We used to go to this record shop called Beano’s, and it was the record shop, I mean, people came from all over the country to go. I felt – this is like the centre of the world. And [there was] an immensely diverse group of people, so you had all kinds of food and communities and music and everything.”

However, he continues: “You notice that weariness in others. I lived in New York for 15 years, but there was always this sort of slight anxiety about coming into Manhattan because they’ve heard of the bad old days of graffiti on trains and violence on the subway… that nervousness, people do have about Croydon. I think it’s this image [of] an undesirable place, and that image can become so much stronger than the reality.”

Returning to his work on the Borough of Culture, O’Regan expresses hope for the future of Croydon’s reputation, citing the power of art and music to bring communities together and ‘soften’ the borough’s often otherwise harsh image, celebrating instead the culture and excitement that Croydon has to offer.

Classical composer Tarik O’Regan, was born in Croydon in 1978. His 100 plus compositions have been recognised on over 40 albums, two Grammy nominations and two Ivors. In recent years O’Regan’s work has been influenced by his dual Arab and Irish heritage. He currently lives in San Francisco.