On song for poppy opera
An opera based on the true life tales of North East military personnel has been launched in Sunderland and you could help bring it to life.
To mark the Great War armistice centenary and 100 years since the premiere of Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale, which was the famous composer’s response to the war, Opera Sunderland have unveiled their piece, The Soldier’s Return.
Director Annie Rigby has already interviewed many North East veterans and serving military about conflicts through the decades, which has informed the narrative of the piece, and Jacob Polley has written the libretto. Now it’s up to the people of Sunderland to give the opera its voice.
In the months leading up to the performance in November 2019, schools, groups and individuals will be able to take part in workshops with a view to performing in the opera at Sunderland Minster.
It follows the success of MIRACLE! An Opera of Two Halves which premiered in Sunderland in 2015 and Opera Sunderland has brought together many of the same artistic team, including artistic director Alison Barton, award-winning composer Marcos Fernandez-Barrero, director Annie Rigby and musical director Marco Romano.
Annie said: “It’s a professional creative team and production, with the community involved in the performance. It’s been incredible to hear people’s stories across a breadth of conflicts and military experiences. What’s interesting is that veterans often talk about being at home and thinking back to the conflict, but when they are serving all they can think about is home. So they’re never entirely rested in either place.”
Alison Barton said: “You don’t need to have any experience at all, we’ll train you up if you want to get involved. So come along and have a crack.”
Sign up to Opera Sunderland’s mailing list at www. operasunderland.co.uk