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SONGWRITERS HOST BUILD AN OPERA

Youngsters made their own costumes for the final Build an Opera performance

Published on 1st September 2024

It’s the beginning of the school holidays, the sun is shining and you’re looking for ways to keep the kids occupied and off their mobile phones. 

You could enjoy a picnic in the park, play in the woods, build sandcastles at the beach, cycle along the Downs or enjoy a day at a theme park. But kids these days, they just want to write an opera, don’t they? Well, about 30 of them do anyway, and through Build an Opera, they spent a week in August at a beautiful barn on the foot of the South Downs writing an entirely new production. 

Chris Hussey, a musical director and composer at Songbuilders, which organises the annual course, said: ‘We’ve had many discussions about changing the word “opera” but always decide against it as our original concept was to demystify opera as a genre and make it more accessible to younger generations. The word “opera” doesn’t really matter, as the week is more about the creative process and what the children produce has elements not just of opera, but pop, musical theatre, rock and hip-hop. If you have a “Swifty” in the group, they’re going to come up with melodies that sound like Taylor Swift, and that’s fine, as anything goes. Opera is about telling a story through song more than anything, and what we offer at Build an Opera is a place where children can sing, write lyrics and be creative with art. That is what attracts people and we hope they leave us at the end of the week thinking opera is cool.’ 

PURE IMAGINATION

Build an Opera was founded in 2013 and having been disrupted by Covid, was this year staged for the eighth time. It was the first time it has been held at Sullington Farm, having previously taken place at Chesworth Farm in Horsham. 

The concept was devised by Songbuilders, a partnership between Chris Hussey and Mark Bradbury, who trained as a professional singer at the Royal Academy of Music and is well-known locally as both a teacher and as a director of Big Notes, West Sussex Youth Choir and other choirs. Mark runs Build an Opera with Chris and a small team, always starting with a blank sheet of paper.

Mark said: ‘We create an entirely original production and all we have at the beginning is a theme. In the past, themes have been as varied as Ancient Egypt or Shakespeare, and this year’s theme was misunderstood monsters. That’s all the input we give participants and it’s down to the children to create unique characters, write songs and develop a storyline. The first morning is spent on ideas, which helps the children get to know one another. It can be chaotic, as the only limit is their imagination. The suggestions can be bonkers, but our answer is always “yes”. They come up with more magical, mysterious and fantastical things than we ever could and our job is to manage these ideas and help them formulate them into a show that they present to their families and friends at the end of the week.’

The Build an Opera team: Anna, Chris, Mark and Ellie

CHICKEN SONG

Children work in groups to write melodies and conjure lyrics, and one of Chris’s jobs is to compose the scores. They are then pieced together into a narrative for an opera that typically runs to about 40 minutes. The ideas the children come up with can come from anywhere. In a previous opera with a theme of famous art, they studied Van Gogh’s painting ‘Chair’ and having mistakenly identified the onions in the background, penned ‘Is That a Chicken in the Corner? This year’s opera featured eight new songs, providing children with ample opportunity to write crazy, zany and occasionally monstrously disgusting lyrics. 

Chris said: ‘We encourage them to think about the characters they’ve created and to write lyrics that tell a story. We offer guidance on structure, so they have verses and a catchy chorus, but it’s really all down to them. When they hear their ideas in a proper piece of original music, they get a feeling of empowerment that comes from creating something new.’ 

‘As everyone involved in Build an Opera loves music, we naturally want it to be a quality show, so we work hard to help them create an opera they can be proud of and will remember. We often hear from alumni who still sing our old songs, such as The Talking Cave, which youngsters always perform with gusto.’

OPERA BATTLE

As experienced musicians, Mark and Chris appreciate that an arduous song-writing schedule can take its toll. Fortunately, there is more to Build an Opera than just music, as the children also choreograph routines for their songs, build sets for the stage and create props for characters.  

Anna Grey, who is also founder of Art 4 All and an art teacher at Collyer’s, has been involved in all eight Build an Opera courses. She said: ‘Sometimes kids need a break from song-writing and like to do something messy and silly. Coming up with costumes in such a short space of time can be challenging, especially with a monster theme. This year, we’re trying to create floating bodies and skeletal heads with long legs and knobbly knees! It’s not easy, but always fun and there are children who prefer the artistic side.’ 

Nine-year-old Hetty is among those who spent a lot of time with a paintbrush in hand. Hetty said: ‘I’m a mermaid in the opera and we’ve spent a lot of time making a tail and mask using green paint. I have a few singing parts too, including an operatic role in a ‘rock versus opera’ battle which I have with one of my friends!’

Youngsters made their own costumes

EATEN MESS 

Another characteristic of the course is that it helps forge friendships. Foxton, 10, enjoyed writing songs in small teams and was responsible for adding multi-coloured tentacles to the misunderstood monsters. Libby and Christina became friends through previous workshops and both returned this year.  

Libby said: ‘In the opera, we have a ten-headed monster, but two of the heads have eaten the other eight. I’m one of the eaten heads, while Christina is one of the monsters that has swallowed the other eight. It was tricky to think of ways to show this on stage, so we made sculptures of skulls that represents all the eaten heads!’ 

Christina adds: ‘The songs are funny, with the swallowed heads singing about how they didn’t do anything wrong, but I’m one of the two big monsters, so I get to sing in an evil voice! It doesn’t matter what our ideas are, as nothing is off-limits!’ 

Mark, Chris and Anna are supported throughout the week by young actors and musicians too. Mark’s daughter Ellie Bradbury, who attends drama school, is a multi-instrumentalist who helps bring the opera to life. Chris’s son Isaac is also a talented musician and ensures that between the team the opera features saxophone, bassoon, accordion, piano, cello, violin and elements of percussion. 

As well as giving some experience to young musicians, the workshops inspire a life-long interest in music. One former attendee, Izzy Taylor, plans to attend a music conservatoire to study composition after finishing her A’ levels. Izzy said: ‘I came to the first Build an Opera in 2013 and had such a good time that I volunteered to come back and help this year. I’ve already written orchestral music, choral and chamber works, as well as songs on the piano, and my experiences at Build an Opera have certainly inspired me to pursue a career in composition.’   

WORDS: Ben Morris / PHOTOS: Courtesy of Maggie Michalowic/Songbuilders 

Further information: Next year’s Build an Opera is held for 9 – 15-year-olds on 4 – 8 August 2025. For details, visit www.songbuilders.co.uk