22 young people aged 9-11 years old made their debut on the world-famous Coliseum stage alongside professional artists, our ENO chorus, and orchestra. The children played hungry street children and performed in key scenes in the opera, including an epic Toreador song.
Working with a school that champions music is key to the success of the project. At Marlborough Primary School, music plays a big role in the school environment, thanks in no small part to Lead Music Teacher Ms Fyvie, who has built a thriving musical culture within the school community.
Ms Fyvie shared how exciting it was to see the children gain skills both on and off the stage:
“The rehearsals are simply thrilling. It is so exciting to hear how the vocal and body warm-ups place the children’s voices; then they sing with such freedom and confidence. The children are gaining more than that, though. This project is developing them as individuals, teaching them about discipline, accuracy, perseverance, and world class performance.”
As with other years, the excitement didn’t end on closing night for our young performers. After the final curtain went down at the Coliseum, the ENO Chorus, musicians and soloists performed an interactive ‘mini version’ of Carmen for the Marlborough Primary School students and community in their school hall, to celebrate the incredible achievements of our Youth Chorus.
Discover more about Carmen
