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Equal Voices is the final project in Welsh National Opera's second year of work across the South Wales valleys as part of our Street Songs programme funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Working with young travellers and gypsies from the Equal Project based at West Monmouth School in Pontypool, Torfaen we will be exploring their perceptions and experiences of life in the valleys today and helping them capture their thoughts and words and turn them into songs.

Running from April to June 2009 WNO MAX will work with two separate groups of girls and boys, bringing in Writer Karen Hayes (Songs For Our Age; Merman King) and Composer Stacey Blythe (Valley of Hope; Bay Women Singing) to introduce the young people to song writing and music. Once the songs have been developed they will be brought to life by Soprano Sian Cameron (Singing Club) and Baritone Mark Evans (Songbus).

To allow the groups to experience other elements of the opera world, and provide them with an additional creative platform to celebrate their voices and experiences artist Louise Carey will help them take their words and turn them into a range of public art sculptures, using a variety of materials. The sculptures will form part of a permanent art trail at Pontypool's local community farm where one of the performances of the Equal Voices songs will take place. The songs will also be performed at the school, as well as on one of the Travelling sites to allow fellow pupils, parents and family to experience the work that the young people have created. A live recording of one of the performances will be produced as a CD for those involved to keep.

To read the song lyrics click here

If you are participating in Equal Voices you can have exclusive access to a noticeboard where you can keep in touch and up to date with your group and project

Writer Karen Hayes Composer Stacey Blythe Soprano/Animateur Sian Cameron Baritone/Animateur Mark Evans Artist Louise Carey Producer Claire Cressey