Published by 1st June 2024

A remarkable folk opera telling the story of Sussex’s smuggling past was performed at Lancing College Chapel on 27 – 28 April.  

As well as an original score by Horsham composer Christopher Hussey, Beware the Mackerel Sky included a libretto by Billingshurst writer and teacher Theresa Gooda. The ambitious community project involved 400 performers with young musicians, adult choral societies and school choirs joining their professional counterparts. AAH attended and met Chris, Theresa and professional musician Andrew Bernardi to find out more… 

SMUGGLERS’ STORY

Beware the Mackerel Sky takes inspiration from the smugglers that once operated on the Sussex coast. It was originally commissioned by Aedan Kerney, Musical Director of The Boundstone Chorus, an adults choir in Lancing. Aedan approached Chris Hussey, whose credits include works for choir, orchestra, theatre and media, with over 500 sheet music publications and 150 educational books to his name, to compose a score based on a story about smuggling written by Charlie Olsen, a former teacher at Boundstone Community College. 

Chris said: ‘Smuggling was vital to the economy of coastal towns such as Shoreham during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Even today, stories of tunnels once used to smuggle goods attract a great deal of historical interest, while local legends live on through pub and street names. We took inspiration from a true story dating to 1825 when Lieutenant Leworthy of the West Worthing Blockade Station ran aground a boat called the Mayflower. Six men including John Wilkinson, the cutter’s captain, were captured and sent to the magistrates’ court on smuggling charges. They were released largely thanks to a character testimony from Mrs Anro, landlady of the Royal George pub in Shoreham. Of course, it doesn’t take a leap of imagination to know why she was on the side of the smugglers!’  

‘Beware the Mackerel Sky follows the story of the three real-life protagonists, Leworthy, Wilkinson and Mrs Anro (played by Sue Pollard, a theatrical actress from Billingshurst), who provides the story’s narration. Charlie also introduced a fictional character called Abigail to add heart to the story as well as intrigue surrounding the mystery identity of a spy. So, much of the piece is based on fact and tells the story of people who lived in the area.’

SING WITH STRINGS 

Thanks to a grant from Arts Council England, the original incarnation of Beware the Mackerel Sky was first performed in 2019, with The Boundstone Chorus singing alongside children from two local schools and a professional vocal quartet. Following its success, there was potential for the work to be expanded to incorporate even more singers and musicians. It was then that Andrew Bernardi, a violinist with the Bernardi Music Group (BMG) and organiser of the annual Shipley Arts Festival, entered the scene...

Andrew said: ‘An important component of the BMG is the String Academy. Through the String Academy, we collaborate with local schools as well as individuals and inspire young people to learn how to play the violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano. Many of the young musicians in the Academy have gained scholarships at leading institutions, such as the Royal College of Music.’  

‘We also run a programme called Sing with Strings, in which the young musicians in the Academy have the opportunity to perform alongside the string orchestra of the world-renowned Yehudi Menuhin School. We have already organised two concerts as part of Sing with Strings, including Perfect Pitch, which featured football-themed songs such as Nessun Dorma, sung by a professional opera singer. As well as bringing musicians together, we invite local school choirs to perform alongside adult choirs and professional singers at these concerts. As a long-time supporter of Chris’s music, we felt Beware the Mackerel Sky would be a perfect fit for the Sing with Strings programme and also to launch the 2024 Shipley Arts Festival.’

GENERATIONAL TALENTS

With the support of the Focus Foundation, Lancing College and Shipley Arts Festival sponsors Toovey’s, NFU Mutual, Kreston Reeves and Nyetimber, Andrew and Chris were able to realise their vision, transforming Beware the Mackerel Sky from a two-act play with songs into a one-act folk opera, with music running throughout. Chris composed new material set to an extended libretto by Theresa Gooda, a well-known author and teacher who has penned poetry, plays and several bestselling memoirs. 

With String Academy musicians joining those from the Yehudi Menuhin School, a revised score was composed for a 60-piece orchestra, including several professional musicians, while Steve Dummer of Horsham Symphony Orchestra was brought in to conduct with customary panache and a striking red shirt to aid visibility for all 400 performers! On the vocal side, eight school choirs committed to the project including The Weald, Farlington and Southwater Junior Academy. They were joined by Lancing College Choir and three adult choirs – College Singers, The Boundstone Chorus and Worthing Choral Society – with the choirs directed by singer-songwriter and vocal animateur Emily Barden, Aedan Kerney and Alex Mason, Director of Music at Lancing College.

Chris said: ‘The synergy between my vision and Andrew’s comes from a mutual belief in the transformational power of music. So, we have taken an original piece with potential, augmented and developed it, and given it a new life. Placing young musicians and singers from Sussex schools alongside the aspirational musicianship of professionals and young students from the Yehudi Menuhin School provides a wonderful opportunity for all involved and we have seen a similar symbiotic relationship with the choirs.’ 

‘Projects like these are more important than ever, as we are in a dire place when it comes to the provision of music education in schools. Whilst there are many examples of talented and passionate music educators doing an amazing job in schools, the national curriculum does not prioritise the expressive arts. Of course, focusing on STEM subjects is important, but this should not be at the expense of arts education. When the arts are sidelined and meaningful performance opportunities reduced, you risk losing the cultural benefits that come from producing great musicians, dancers, actors and other creatives, as well as the development of confidence, communication and social skills that young people gain through collaborative performance. We’ve now reached a point where many children miss out altogether on experiencing classical music at school, which is where community projects can make a difference. In Horsham, we’re fortunate to have groups like West Sussex Music, Horsham Music Circle and the Horsham Performers Platform who create opportunities and engage young people in music. Making exciting new music is vital to their learning and development, so we’ve tried to make the folk opera very eclectic and inclusive.’ 

INSPIRING EXPERIENCE

The term ‘folk opera’ is not a common one. The ‘opera’ element was utilised as a way of demystifying a genre that younger audiences can struggle to relate to, while the folk influence is more evident, with the genre lending itself to the story of the smugglers. There are scenes in the performance which depict the smugglers sneaking contraband onshore in the dead of night, with shanty-style music featuring an accordion, drummer and Andrew playing his famed Stradivarius in a folk fiddle style. There is even a new song setting the words of A Smuggler’s Song, a poem by Rudyard Kipling, who lived in East Sussex. The line ‘Watch the wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by’ forms the basis of the finale.  

As for the setting, few venues can accommodate 400 performers whilst still finding space for an audience. However, Lancing College Chapel was perfect, as it’s not only the world’s largest school chapel, but is located on the River Adur where smugglers once operated. It also has a proud history of community music projects, says Chris. 

‘In the late 1950s, Benjamin Britten composed an opera called Noye’s Fludde (Noah’s Flood) based on one of the Chester Mystery Plays. It was written for amateur musicians and school choirs to perform with professionals, which is precisely what we’re doing. It was first performed in Suffolk, but soon after it came to Lancing College in 1959 with Britten in attendance. So, there’s a connection to what Britten was doing over 60 years ago and what we’re trying to achieve today. By putting school choirs alongside professional singers and young musicians alongside professional players, we hopefully can facilitate a uniquely memorable and inspiring experience, which for some might be transformational.’ 

Further information:

For more Shipley Arts Festival events, visit www.bernardimusicgroup.com/events/

WORDS: Ben Morris

PHOTOS: Alan Wright