Opera Visit

One of our learners at Red Balloon Worthing was chosen to perform in a concert-style performance called ‘Uprising’ at Glyndebourne. From acclaimed composer Jonathan Dove and writer April De Angelis, this new opera looked at the state of the world through the eyes of the young. The learner preformed as part of the youth opera.

We arranged for 12 of our learners to attend the performance. None of them had seen an opera before so this was a new and very different experience for them all!

Kim Anderson, Head of Centre said:

It was a unique and amazing opportunity for our learners to experience opera for the first time. It was a wonderful performance which was even more special because one of learners was involved. It was a very powerful cultural experience.

The learner had no idea that all her friends would be watching her and didn’t spot them all when she was performing. When everyone arrived back at the Centre, the learner was sent photos to show her that they had all been there. She was so surprised and couldn’t believe everyone had managed to keep it so quiet! She said she was delighted, but pleased she didn’t know beforehand because she felt that the pressure would have been quite scary.

The learner’s peers had nothing but positive things to say about the performance.

“It was absolutely fantastic. I wouldn’t say I am an opera person but they were really good at singing and I enjoyed trying something completely new. I enjoyed it.”

“It was fun. The place was very big, it would have been so good to play hide and seek in there. The music was confusing at times, but I liked it. It was something very different for me and I felt pleased that I had tried something new.”

We are thrilled that this was a positive experience for everyone involved, and look forward to more outings in the future!