Bizet's Carmen

Times Educational Supplement

‘Visually, the show is amazing… pupils in each primary wrote a scene, made costumes, designed sets, choreographed dance routines and painted pictures inspired by the story… It is uplifting to see an art form stereotyped as elitist being performed with such gusto by a bunch of inner- city kids. As they leave the stage following a final, rousing rendition of the "Toreador Song", there are whoops of delight. And, of course, they learnt to sing very loudly. They’ll never forget it’

Oxygen magazine

'Magnificent it truly was... created a depth and richness of sound to bring tears the eyes and butterflies to the stomach. The children sat there transfixed. To engender this sort of cooperation from children in a generation where opera may be regarded as a lost art or perhaps, in many areas, one never found, is both brave and genius.'

Pagliacci's The Clowns
English Pocket Opera Company, founded in 1993, seeks to ‘demystify opera and broaden its popular appeal through innovative, accessible small-scale productions in the English language’. In 2002 a programme of education work was started to create unique and accessible music and opera education experiences for young people and teachers alike.

PMF Involvement:

2002 Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel

2003 Haydn & Bastien and Bastienne

2003/4 Bizet’s Carmen

2004  Pagliacci’s  The Clowns

2005/6 Mozart’s The Magic Flute
RPS Award for Audience Development and Education: ‘Dynamic and creative approaches to developing the music audiences of the future’ (touring to an estimated 54,000 children in 270 schools)

2008 Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges
Mozart's The Magic Flute
Bizet's Carmen
21 November 2008