Creation - An Opera in Four Days

Over four days, six of our talented Learning and Participation team, including a director, conductor, designer, singer, choreographer from Rambert as well as members of our orchestra, worked with 92 secondary students to create their version of Haydn's Creation. It's amazing how well Haydn's music sounded when adapted for a Steel Band! These introductory workshops were part of our year-round programme encouraging young people to understand more about opera as an art form and to encourage new audiences.

The pupils worked in teams. The Steel Pan group worked with our composer Pete Letanka and our cellist Jane Fenton composing the music. The chorus worked with our Director Karen Gillingham and singer Rob Gildon. A team of designers worked with Ruth Paton and a team of dancers worked with Deborah Galloway. All 92 pupils and their fantastic supporting teachers became our company over the project, devising new work that took some of the themes of Creation and added a new theme, digital technology, one of great importance to young people. This resulted in two spectacular 20 minute performances, atoms floating high providing a background to the music, beat boxing and singing enjoyed by audiences of parents, friends, other pupils and Garsington Opera supporters.