Watch: Superstar Ed Sheeran plays surprise gig at school in Cardiff
Teenagers at a school in Cardiff were taken by surprise when Ed Sheeran turned up and performed an impromptu concert for them.
The singer showed up at Fitzalan High School, which is situated less than a mile from the Principality Stadium where the musician has performed several huge sell out shows over the years.
This time it was a far more intimate occasion when Sheeran took to the stage in the school’s main hall to play to several hundred schoolkids, where he performed hits including ‘Shape Of You’.
The performance was captured by TikTok user @totallynotd4isy who wrote: “Ed Sheeran coming to my school was not on my 2025 bingo card!’
@totallynotd4isy I LOVE HIM THO (video taken by me!!) #edsheeran ♬ original sound – Daisy🎧
The singer, accompanied by his friend and collaborator Welsh songwriter Amy Wadge, was in the Welsh capital on the day he launched his own music foundation.
Announcing his reasons behind launching the Ed Sheeran Foundation, he wrote on social media: “I set up @edsheeranfnd because recently there’s been less and less importance being put on music education.
“Even when I was in school it was seen as a ‘doss subject’ and not taken seriously. There’s a misconception that it’s ’not a real job’ – when the music industry accounts for 216,000 jobs in so many different fields, and bringing as much as £7.6 billion in a year to the UK economy. Not to mention the power our art has worldwide to bring joy to people. It’s something we should be proud of and championing in the UK, not sweeping under the rug and pretending we are just bankers (no offence to bankers obvz).
“It was incredible for my mental health as a kid, feeling a sense of purpose and achievement, even just learning piano or cello at a young age way before songwriting. I want kids to be able to learn instruments, learn production and songwriting, performing, and have apprenticeship schemes help them learn different skills to enter the industry.”
He added: “I employ 150 people on tour who all have different skill sets, there’s also labels, management, publishing, promoters. Music is such a key part of our society. The more I do travelling around and visiting schools and grass roots projects, the more I see there’s passion and inspiring people, who are being undervalued and underserved. I’m hoping this foundation is a start to giving them the support they need to keep going, and show them they are hugely important to us.”
After his appearance at Fitzalan High School, where he also chatted with pupils studying music, Sheeran paid a visit to East Moors Youth Centre in Splott, to meet with the people who run Ministry of Life Education who provide alternative education opportunities for young people who are not ready for mainstream education or the workplace.
MOL wrote on their Instagram page: “Ed Sheeran made a surprise visit today to the project and jammed with our talented students. The place was buzzing and we cant thank Ed enough for what him and his new foundation have done for us and our young people.
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