Dalia

Dalia Reviews

★★★★ "Dalia: tackling the refugee crisis and cricket, this community opera knocks them for six … Many will have had their first experience on stage, and many lives will have been changed as a result"
The Daily Telegraph, John Allison

★★★★ "Sharp, embracing and affecting"
The Observer, Fiona Maddocks

"Magnificently well rehearsed both musically and dramatically. On-screen contributions from Al Farah Choir, Damascus and Amway Choir, Bethlehem and Hebron added to the emotional and cultural/social impact"
 Music Teacher Magazine, Clare Stevens

"Garsington’s education and community operation has many outstanding achievements to its name, but in pure performance terms none can have been more impressive than the two Garsington commissions by Roxana Panufnik and Jessica Duchen" 
Opera Now magazine, Andrew Green 

"Dalia’s creative team deliver some truly poignant moments, thanks in part to the luxury casting of the adult leads and Panufnik’s thoughtful deployment of Syrian musical styles. This especially comes to the fore in the heart-breaking lamentation sung to great effect by Merit Ariane as Dalia’s mother, Aisha ... Countertenor Andrew Watts gives a superb performance"
The Stage, Inge Kjemtrup

"These are characters we all know from our own lives and their roles are stunningly realised by the cast ... An achingly sensitive performance by Forbes-Dorant really takes us into the mind of the refugee"
London Unattached, Fiona Maclean

"Roxana Panufnik’s music is often beautiful, always colourful and makes aptly dramatic use of a wide range of orchestral sounds"
Lark Reviews, Susan Elkin

Dalia Previews

'The last word goes to Ella, from the Al-Farah Choir. “I am 12 years old, and I can see what is going on around the world. Anyone – you, me, everybody – could be Dalia. It’s the story of us, it’s our story, and the story must be sung"'
The Guardian

The Henley Standard