The annual Llantilio Crossenny Festival (3rd – 18th May), now in its 52nd year, is a rural and intimate Festival with a range of exciting concerts and events for all ages, some of them free of charge. This year’s programme is wide and varied ranging from a Puccini (La Boheme) & Pasta Evening to a Gospel Meets Jazz Evening to name just a few.
Since 2007 with the help of London Opera Productions the Festival has now firmly established an annual Children’s Complete Opera Project. The Festival is keen to share its resources and expertise, offering opportunities to children further afield than the local community. Following the children’s opera performances last year a child in foster care in Ebbw Vale, with a terminal illness and special needs asked if we could run workshops with his school, Pen Y Cwm Special School in Ebbw Vale. As a result, this year a series of workshops has involved the children from local Cross Ash Primary School and Pen Y Cwm Special School (part of the new Ebbw Fawr Learning Community with over 1,200 pupils) in every aspect of opera production including acting, singing, set design and painting, costume design and making, lighting, publicity and marketing. The pupils have spent two terms, some learning solo “singing” roles and chorus parts, also basic stagecraft and design skills. They have made specific designs for costumes and scenery (constructed at Treadam Barn under the supervision of London Opera Productions’ technical staff). They have also helped to design and organise the publicity.
This year’s project culminates in two fully staged reduced performances of the opera “The Barber of Seville” by Rossini during the Festival, the children performing with professional soloists (who have sung with national and international opera companies) taking the main roles and working alongside professional orchestra members and conductor. A dress rehearsal will be held in the Hall of this Super School in Ebbw Vale for more than 500 school children, a large number of whom (due to their disabilities) have never seen “live” theatre before. As a Festival, we are of course very proud to be able to change that!
The Children’s Opera Project is kindly being supported by the Arts Council of Wales.
For further information about the Llantilio Crossenny Festival and the full programme of events visit: www.llantiliofestival.co.uk. For tickets contact 07779 225 921
