2023 Fundraising: Community opera Noye’s Fludde
We are currently seeking sponsorship to produce and perform Benjamin Britten’s community opera Noye’s Fludde.
It is 70 years since the great North Sea floods, which had a devasting impact on the east coast. The project would engage with local schools and community groups and community choirs, working with these groups to create costumes, and props and to take part in the performances.
As part of the project, the Choirs would like to commission a second short choral work by the British composer Russel Hepplewhite, to be performed alongside the opera. This work would take climate emergency and environmental issues as its key theme. The commissioned work would include contributions from young people in the community, from a series of workshops with local children, giving the young people a voice to share their concerns over the climate emergency in our world.
The production of the opera would also strongly relate to the climate emergency, making use of recycled materials for props, costumes, sets and effects, which would be designed and created by young people, working with professional artists. The production would enable local children to take part as performers, instrumentalists, dancers, singers, prop and set designers. The funding would contribute towards the costs of professionals working in schools, soloists, transport, music hire, PRS fees, props, set etc. The funding would also help to allow these performances to be free for the local community to attend.
Noye’s Fludde was written as a community opera, with the opportunity for people of all ages to be engaged. The orchestral parts, whilst including some professional players, also have a lot of opportunity for non-professionals to take part, including children and young people who may have only just started learning instruments. Taking part in this project may well be their first musical experience. The opera includes a wide range of participation of all ages, from ‘animals’, chorus, recorder players, string players, percussion, soloists and professional soloists, giving everyone the chance to perform together, regardless of their experience or training.
For many children and young people, this would be their first chance to perform in an orchestra, or to perform alongside opera singers and actors. Taking the work into schools and community groups also provides a level of training for school staff and teachers. Many primary schools do not have specialist music teachers and would gain valuable skills from the engagement of this project. Working alongside practitioners and performers will develop the skills of staff in the schools. The Choirs would engage with adult community choirs and instrumental groups in the area.
Lord Britten was the first President of the Southend Boys’ Choir from 1970 until his death in 1976, and the Choirs have a strong affinity with his work.
We are very grateful to have secured donations from the City Celebration Fund and the Essex Community Fund, but are still seeking further sponsorship to cover items such as rehearsal and performance venue hire (£1200), music hire (£1500), instrument hire (£1500) and costumes and props (£500).