Winner of The Royal Philharmonic Society's Education Award 2003

The Original Project in South Wales

In 2001, WNO MAX devised an innovative large-scale project for primary school children which involved creating and performing a new choral opera with professional artists. Using Janácek's opera Katya Kabanova as inspiration, extensive workshops with the pupils took place in their schools in Merthyr Tydfil over a three-month period. This was a wonderful experience for the young people to work with the MAX team and WNO's Chorus but equally special for the WNO Chorus to have the opportunity to perform as soloists. Everyone involved in the project - children and soloists - wrote, composed and painted something. Then the composer Ruth Byrchmore and librettist Alan Osborne integrated the children's words and music into their composition and there followed an intense three months of rehearsals when the young people worked with vocal animateurs from WNO to learn the music.

"...my hair is knots, my jewellery rust, the cover of my bed is dust"

Written by a young participant in the project

Katerina was first performed on 14 June 2001 to over 2000 people in Rhyd-y-car Leisure Centre in Merthyr Tydfil.  Such was the excitement and delight in the project, it was recorded for CD and the piece now sits proudly in WNO's repertoire alongside mainscale productions able to be toured and performed anywhere.

Katerina in North Wales

In the summer of 2003 in North Wales, WNO MAX initiated a collaboration between both Denbighshire and Gwynedd County Councils, supported by Barclays plc, to involve 240 children in a three month project developing and rehearsing their own interpretation of Katerina.  WNO MAX worked with the local education authorities to identify suitable schools, and six primary schools from across the two locations were recommended.

These children explored the story, altered some of the local landmarks and references to their localities, and made the story their own. They then worked in their schools with their six soloists from WNO's Chorus, the conductor, six musicians from within WNO's Orchestra and local musicians. Eventually the children all came together at the performance venue for a rehearsal using WNO's full technical resources, ie: set, lighting, stage management, costumes etc.

On Thursday, 26 June 2003 at Rhyl Pavilion, 240 young people gave two performances of Katerina - a contemporary opera, fully operatic in scale and intensity, to 1,800 people. The performance lasted for one hour with the young people singing for 40 minutes. They were on stage throughout, fully focused, participating and interacting with the soloists, conductor and musicians from WNO. The audiences consisted of primary school pupils from both authorities during the afternoon and family, friends, local community and politicians in the evening. 

Leaving a legacy

The incredible community reaction to the piece and the enthusiasm for singing inspired in the children by their participation in it has meant that new legacy choirs have been formed by local musicians and teachers. The North Wales project acted as a motivating factor in setting up Denbighshire Primary Schools County Choir which is due to start this summer and, following the Merthyr Tydfil performance, the Katerina Chorus was founded by WNO MAX. This group of enthusiastic 9-14 year olds met weekly for 18 months before members of the group were amalgamated into The Singing Club.