Lakeland Opera Workshops

Lakeland Opera Schools Workshops Programme 2009

Click here to view a video of the workshop - Courtesy News & Star 

Lakeland Opera arranges a programme of Opera Workshops in Cumbrian Schools every two years as part of their outreach and accessibility initiatives.

To deliver the 2009 series of workshops, which will take place during an intensive 10 day period in February, we have engaged Yvonne Fontane, our present operatic director and internationally acclaimed opera singer, together with Tanya Cusan, a professional staging choreographer from Leeds, and the very experienced David Sutton, presently living in Carlisle, who has spent a lengthy career as accompanist with many of the major UK Music Academies and Opera Companies.

Each School workshop lasts half a day and is entirely free of charge to them.

Times and dates are:-

Wed 4 Feb a.m.  Dowdales School, Dalton in Furness 
      p.m. Millom School

Thurs 5 Feb p.m. St Bernard’s School, Barrow in Furness
       
Fri 6 Feb a.m.  St Joseph’s High School, Workington
               p.m.  Netherhall School, Maryport

Tues 10 Feb a.m. University of Cumbria (Performing Arts Dept) Carlisle
       
Wed 11 Feb a.m. Trinity School, Carlisle
        p.m. Caldew School, Dalston

Thurs 12 Feb a.m. Queen Elizabeth’s School, Hexham
          p.m. Mowden Hall School, Stocksfield

Fri 13 Feb a.m.  Kirkbie School, Kendal
                 p.m.  Queen Katherine’s School, Kendal

The Workshops take a “capsule” from a major opera, in this case The Chorus of Hebrew Slaves from Verdi’s “Nabucco”, and the children are directed in the dramatic staging and singing of this extract to simulate performance conditions. They will have had time before the workshop date to prepare the music, so that best use is made of the time for the session itself with the professionals.

We see these workshops as a wonderful opportunity to introduce children to opera, as an art form which combines great music with dramatic stagecraft, and from which self confidence and delivery skills can be learnt. Since we always use English language translations in all our work, this maximises accessibility and hopefully can spark an interest in this art form which some may wish to develop.

Photographs - Cumbrian Newspapers Ltd

Lakeland Opera (www.lakelandopera.org.uk)  is a Registered Charity, run entirely by enthusiastic volunteers, but operating artistically to professional standards, who also produce a major opera in Cumbrian locations every 2 years. 2009’s production will be “The Merry Widow (Franz Lehar)