GARSINGTON YOUTH OPERA COMPANY RESIDENCY
1-5 AUGUST 2016
Garsington Opera’s Learning & Participation team are collaborating with Buckinghamshire Learning Trust Music on a weeklong residency this week. Following workshops at Easter, over 60 young people are performing two contemporary opera works by John Barber and Roxanna Panufnik on the main stage at Wormsley for an invited audience on Friday 5 August.
Originally written for the Royal Opera House’s Youth Opera Company, Mighty Oaks Academy is a 12-minute mini-opera composed by John Barber, with words by Denton Chikura.
Silver Birch Song – the opening chorus from the Roxanna Panufnik’s opera Silver Birch – will also be semi-staged as a taster for Garsington Opera’s 2017 People’s Opera.
The works are directed by Karen Gillingham, with musical direction from Suzi Zumpe, and the orchestra is conducted by Karin Hendrickson.
The orchestra is specially formed by Buckinghamshire Learning Trust Music. 19 young players have been selected from across the county for this project. There are 44 young singers aged 11-18 taking part; all are from the established Youth Opera Company, a diverse and energetic group who joined as a result of the outreach work done in local schools.
Four days of rehearsals take place at Aylesbury Music Centre before the company moves to Wormsley on the performance day. The main aim of the week is to provide the young people with a high quality experience that nurtures and fosters talent, and develops singing, dramatic and orchestral skills. The students have the opportunity to work with professional directors, vocal coaches and conductors, and the residency brings together young people from different backgrounds, who may not normally mix with each other either socially or in education.
Many performers on this project will go on to perform in Silver Birch which is part of Garsington Opera’s 2017 season, in which they will appear alongside professional artists.
1 August 2016
PRESS ENQUIRIES Clare Adams Tel. 0779 3556103 clare@garsingtonopera.org
Clare Adams | Press & PR Consultant
Garsington Opera at Wormsley
07793 556103
clare@garsingtonopera.org
