Run (and pedal) for Streetwise in 2012

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 | News | No Comments

Streetwise Opera has places in two fantastic sporting events this year: Nightrider, a 100k night-time cycle through London on 9 June and the British 10k, a 10k run through the heart of central London on 8 July. These are both great challenges and brilliant opportunties to raise vital funds for Streetwise by getting sponsored. We ask that you commit to raising a minimum of £250 in sponsorship, and once you’ve got your place you can set up a fundraising page on our BT Mydonate page. Streetwise Opera will support you with training and fundraising tips, as well as cheering you on on the day! If you’re interested in a place, please email br@streetwiseopera.org

Fables films in London, 11 Jan

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 | News | No Comments

Be guided through all four Fables films by a wonderful narrator at YARN Festival, celebrating the start of 2012 with an evening of film, theatre, music and illustration at the London Short Film Festival. Alongside Fables, films originally commissioned for the Letters Festival in Milan will be screened, interweaving them with new works inspired by the films across a range of mediums, including music and spoken word. Click here for more information.

Roxy Bar and Screen, 128 Borough High Street, London SE1 1LB

Tickets £6 on the door or in advance from here

Take part in ‘With One Voice’

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 | News | No Comments

With One Voice is an Open Mic showcase at the Royal Opera House on 2 July – part of the London 2012 Festival at the Olympics.

What we are looking for: We are looking for performers and filmmakers who have experienced homelessness to be part of this landmark event – the first time in Olympic history that people who have experienced homelessness have been given an official platform.Whether you are a poet, guitarist or represent a choir or theatre group, we’d love to hear from you. We have space for around 2-300 performers on the day and will be screening films from filmmakers plus films of international performing groups in action.

Application process: Our aim is to fit in as many acts as possible but because of space, we have to organise an application process. Click here to find the application form and all the info you need. If you need any help or just fancy a chat about the event call us 020 7730 9551.

  With One Voice is in partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Homeless Link.

Boris Johnson applauds Streetwise’s Olympics event

Friday, November 4th, 2011 | News | No Comments

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has applauded Streetwise Opera’s Open Mic showcase With One Voice in the Olympics at the Royal Opera House on 2 July 2012, saying, ‘The Olympic and Paralympic Games offer a unique platform to celebrate a vast range of talents and I am proud that for the first time this will include those who have been homeless at some point in their lives. As we strive to end rough sleeping in London, it is important that we recognise and champion the creativity of those who have experienced life on the streets, which is precisely what Streetwise Opera and its fantastic programme of events seeks to do.’

Streetwise to platform 200 homeless performers at the Olympics

Friday, November 4th, 2011 | News | 5 Comments

Streetwise Opera will be presenting an Open Mic Showcase called With One Voice on 2 July 2012 during the London 2012 Festival to platform the skills of 200 performers who have experienced homelessness from all over the UK and abroad. With One Voice will be hosted by the Royal Opera House in the Paul Hamlyn Hall in partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Homeless Link. The evening will culminate in all performers and the audience coming together to sing a newly-commissioned work by world-renowned composer Gavin Bryars. This will be the first time in Olympic history that homeless people have been given an official platform. Arts groups who work with homeless people such as Cardboard Citizens, the Choir with No Name, Open Cinema and Streetwise Opera will take 5-10 minute slots throughout the day to sing, present drama work, poetry and to screen films. Newer homeless choirs, theatre groups as well as solo singers, poets and instrumentalists from around the UK will also be given the opportunity to perform. Expressions of interest should be registered here and the official selection process will be announced in December. Throughout the day audiences will watch pre-recorded performances on film from international groups such as the Choir of Hope and Inspiration in Melbourne.

WNO is new Artistic Partner

Thursday, October 6th, 2011 | News | No Comments

We are delighted to announce that we will be expanding the Workshop Programme to Wales in 2012 with our new Artistic Partner Welsh National Opera. The plans follow our strategic aim to team up with large arts organisations, creating strong three-way partnerships with our homeless centres, Streetwise Opera and the arts partner. WNO will be our third Arts Partner alongside Opera North and The Sage Gateshead. Workshops will start in either Cardiff or Swansea in spring 2012.

Upcoming gigs and Open Mic nights

Thursday, October 6th, 2011 | News | No Comments

There’s plenty to get involved in over the coming months – here are some dates for your diary

Nottingham

20 November

• An informal and uplifting Open Mic Night at The Lace Market Theatre featuring Streetwise Opera performers alongside members of the public, 7-9.15pm. Tickets are free but spaces is limited so RSVP to reserve yours by emailing er@streetwiseopera.org or calling 0207 495 3133. If you or your group would like to take a slot at the mic please get in touch.

London

10 November

• Annual Service of Commemoration for people who have died while homeless. St-Martin-in-the-Fields Church, 11.30am
• Night Under the Stars fundraising concert for The Passage Day Centre, Royal Festival Hall, 7.30pm

15 December

• Open Mic Night in partnership with Crisis Skylight and Spitalfields Music Winter Festival, Crisis Skylight Cafe, 7pm. Pay what you can on the night – space is limited so booking is required. Get in touch with Ellie (details above) if you or your group would like to take a slot at the mic

North East

11 November

• Open Mic Night in Middlesbrough featuring performers from STAGES Academy at Blue Bar, Albert Road, 7-9.15pm. Email Fiona to reserve your ticket or to take a slot at the mic – northeast@streetwiseopera.org

15 December

• Disability North and The Sage Gateshead present an evening of performances in celebration of the International Day of Disabled People – this year’s theme is ‘coming together’. Presented as a cabaret style evening there will be entertainment from performers with and without disabilities from The Sage Gateshead’s Accessible Learning Strand and from around the region, including our special guests Streetwise Choir. Hall Two, 7.30pm.

Manchester

17 December

• Soprano and Streetwise Opera leader Elise Dye presents a fundraising gala evening ‘Angels and Arias’ at St. James and Emmanuel Church in Didsbury. The evening will be a sparkling selection of opera and musical theatre classics with carols for all the family to sing along to. All proceeds go to support our work at The Booth Centre in Manchester. Tickets £8/6 – click here get yours.

Elizabeth Watts our new Patron

Thursday, October 6th, 2011 | News | No Comments

We are thrilled to announce that soprano Elizabeth Watts has become a new Patron of Streetwise Opera. Winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Prize and Cardiff Singer of the World Song Prize, she joins fellow Patrons the Duchess of Kent, Lady Valerie Solti, Lady Judy Mackerras, Sir Thomas Allen and Sister Ellen Flynn.

Catch Elizabeth on the Glyndebourne tour in the role of Almirena in Rinaldo over the autumn and check out her fantastic new disc of Bach Cantatas which was a Gramophone Magazine Editor’s choice.

Streetwise Opera is Northern Rock ‘Star Project’

Friday, September 9th, 2011 | News | No Comments

We’re delighted to be featured on the Northern Rock Foundation’s new website as one of their ‘star projects’.

Click here for an insight into how the biggest funder of our work in the North East supports us.

Patience’s blog

Friday, August 12th, 2011 | News | 1 Comment

We are delighted to be involved in the new DCMS Jerwood Creative Bursaries Scheme, a scheme to offer talented arts graduates the opportunity to kick start a career in the arts or creative industries.

The DCMS Jerwood Creative Bursaries Scheme for new arts graduates has been developed and is managed by Jerwood on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The programme will make careers in the arts more accessible by giving up to 40 recent graduates, who could otherwise not support themselves through an unpaid internship, to take up posts with arts and cultural organisations for up to 12 months.

We are honoured to be part of this scheme which is so important for the whole arts sector – through the scheme we have been able to welcome Patience Ofosu-Asaa to Streetwise Opera as Projects Assistant and she is writing a regular blog about her experiences (see below):

11 August 2011

July has been a busy month for the Workshop Programme. We recently took the Fables Tour to Manchester during the Not Part of Festival, with our performers from The Booth Centre and Nottingham ICC.  Streetwise Opera staff travelled to Manchester for the day to manage and co-ordinate the event. We were all looking forward to spending time with our performers and watch them do what they do best…sing their hearts out! The day’s rehearsal was full of energy and fun, and the performance was equally heart-warming and done with professionalism. I do want to give a special shout out to the Manchester and Nottingham performers as they really are joy to work with and continue to demonstrate how powerful music and the joy of singing can be in our daily lives.

Back in London performers were also invited to perform at Extraordinary Voices at the Barbican. The weekend event saw choirs and performance groups singing to members of the general public. London groups from The Passage, Crisis Skylight and The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields performed on two separate stages throughout the event. The group’s rendition of ‘O Sole Mio’ was definitely a highlight. Their voices filled the venue beautifully.

A few days later we had the highly anticipated Open Mic Night. I was given the responsibility of co-ordinating the event from start to finish, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I’ve had a lot of experience working on public performances and had all the Streetwise Opera staff helping out as well as the workshop leaders. After weeks of planning it finally reached the Young Vic. The evening went off with a bang. There were so many stand-out performances, from opera infused electronica to poetry and beyond. The Streetwise Opera soloists performed with such confidence. The event was made more special with the Choir with No Name joining us, who were equally great and produced stunning performances throughout the evening. The Young Vic was amazing to work with and really helped to make the event a success. Together it made for a spectacular evening.  A member of the audience said it was a “Wonderful evening’s entertainment”. Thanks so much to everyone who performed, making the evening a success. We all hope you enjoyed yourselves!

We also had an Open Mic Night in Newcastle at The Sage Gateshead. Staff members who attended mentioned the atmosphere was buzzing and there were great performances throughout. Well done to the performers from Byker Bridge, Virginia House, Streetwise Choir and STAGES.

We have loads of things lined up in the coming months so do check out the Workshop Programme diary for upcoming events.

7 July 2011

Hello London performers!

I wanted to let you know the London Open Mic Night is being organised as we speak. There are limited solo slots but plenty of group numbers! You will also be joined by the Choir with No More. More information coming soon to workshops over the next couple of weeks from the awesome workshop leaders!!!

2 June 2011

After a busy few months with Streetwise Opera I think it’s time for an update. From London to Manchester, I’ve assisted in our Open Mic Nights to the Fables – A Film Opera tour. After the success of our premiere in December it’s been full speed ahead and I have enjoyed every minute of it.

I hadn’t even realised that I’m at the halfway mark in my placement. I’m still learning and being challenged on a daily basis. I’ve been really lucky that the Streetwise Opera team have been great in allowing me scope to learn other aspects of arts management such as fundraising and development, which means I have a better understanding of how an organisation runs. Every week there seems to be something exciting going on and more responsibility coming my way.

One aspect of my role here is the monitoring and evaluation of our Workshop Programme. Each year we collect and present data on the number of participants who have engaged with the Workshop Programme across all the regions we work in. For the last few weeks I have been creating graphs to show average attendance per centre, number of workshops attended by individuals and the overall number of people we engage with. This information is important and clearly demonstrates to funders and the general public why Streetwise Opera’s work as an arts organisation in the homeless sector continues to be important.

So far I’ve been involved in two Open Mic Nights in Luton and Manchester and there have been a few Fables tour dates at Broadway Cinema in Nottingham, BFI in London and Tyneside cinema in Newcastle. We’ve also done a performance at the DCMS offices!

The Manchester Open Mic Night was held at the Manchester Museum. Even though it’s an unusual venue from what you’d expect, it actually worked really well. A particular highlight of the night was the Carmen staging. It included 11 participants showcasing a 10 minute mini performance of Carmen. The role of Carmen was shared by the women of the group which swapped throughout the staging as they went through the memorable scenes. Each Carmen brought her own interpretation of the infamous character with one performing the character’s dramatic death. It was amazingly sung and acted with a professional feel, and they clearly loved learning the opera. Likewise in Luton the Open Mic Night had a great feel and the passion for performing could be felt in the room. One thing really stood out for me from both these Open Mic Nights was the universal enjoyment of performing and the camaraderie felt between everyone. Not only do the Open Mic Nights celebrate what Streetwise Opera does but it also gives our performers a platform to individually express themselves.

Below you can watch a video blog showing some of my experiences so far:

I continue to be inspired by our performers. Both Open Mic Nights have been amazing and so much fun. I would like to thank the performers from Luton, London and Manchester for two amazing evenings of fantastic singing and performances.

Fables continue to provide a really good dynamic between cinema and performance and these tour dates have continued to be a success. From the intimate Broadway cinema to the iconic BFI the audience are impressed and thoroughly enjoy their evening (I’m certainly not surprised.)

There have been a few theatre trips we’ve organised for our performers that I have been lucky to attend, ranging from the opera production of Aida at the Royal Opera House to an innovative and interactive dance and song piece Say Something at The Place. Aida was what you’d expect from a production at the opera house. It was grand and spectacular with stunning opera singing. Say Something was a much more intimate affair in that we, the audience became part of the piece. The dancers and singers surrounded us and physically moved us from one side of the room to another. It was overwhelming but comforting. You went through one moment of feeling your space was being encroached upon to another feeling of unison and having a shared experience. The participants definitely enjoyed the performance in terms of the merging between performer and audience.

The longer I work for Streetwise Opera the more I understand the importance of the arts in our daily lives and what a profound effect it can have on individuals.

With more tour dates in the pipe line including a tour date at the Not Part of Festival in Manchester at the Zion Arts Centre and experiences to be had it’s a goodbye until next time. I’m also coordinating the London Open Mic Night so do watch out for updates…

20 Dec 2010

The live premiere of Fables – A Film Opera is over and what a week it’s been.  Alongside the Streetwise Opera staff we have been working hard to make a huge project successful and looking at the 4* reviews in The Independent, Evening Standard, Daily Telegraph and The Times I think it was. It was such a buzz to be working for Streetwise Opera and I felt like it was truly a team effort.

After weeks of preparation (I have never seen so many different schedules for so many people) and getting a crash course in the logistics for a production of this size we finally met the performers from London and the regional groups that travelled from Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Nottingham at the premiere’s venue Shoreditch Church.  It was all coming together – direction, stage management and the technical crew. I’ve met so many people during the production from talented artists to the amazing production team and incredible stage management team.

My role was primarily to assist the company managers of participants Sarah Crompton and Ellie Raymont. 144 participants were involved so one can imagine the work that was involved to make sure everyone arrived ready to perform. Firstly we had Shoreditch Church which was the main hub if you like. The costume fittings were happening in a nearby building about a 5 minutes walk away. With the snow and the having to get 144 participants costume fitted and back to the church on time for their rehearsals and performances, it was definitely an operation of huge proportions and mobile phones were a definite must. Luckily and through sheer hard work and concentration everything went swimmingly well. The participants were amazing and very understanding – including waiting in the snow for a bus to get to their hotel. We also had to organise catering for everyone involved in the production and keep it to schedule. It was definitely an adrenaline filled day but equally enjoyable.

The stage was set and the performers began their final rehearsals. Everyone was very professional and patient. It was great being in the green room when the performers kept the energy going with a sing song, even after two very long and tiring days.

One of the things I learnt on this project was how to manage a variety of things at a hectic pace. It allowed me the opportunity to showcase my strengths and build my confidence. There were many instances where I really had to take charge and make sure people were in the right places and the right time. Even though I was familiar with the participants from London there were a lot of new faces.  But everyone was lovely when I made announcements throughout the day telling them “You have 5 minutes left then we are leaving for rehearsals. Thanks.” They were probably tired of my voice but hid it very well. In this job you have to feel confident managing people.

By the end it was really emotional just seeing how much everybody put themselves into this project. The performances by the participants were inspiring. It’s amazing to see first-hand what the arts can do for confidence and aspirations. One participant wrote “The whole experience has been a massive personal confidence boost, a life changing journey”

However this is only the start. The next step is seeing the participants performing during the tour of Fables, with confirmed dates at Royal Festival Hall (30^th January) Broadway Cinema in Nottingham (18^th February), Tyneside Cinema (17^th March) and National Film Theatre (24^th March). It’s really exciting seeing the success of the project so far. I’m really enjoying the combination of live performances along with films. It will be thrilling to see that during the tour of the films. One can imagine what a live performance will feel like in a cinema setting!

After reading what the participants have said about the experience and working with professionals in the arts I couldn’t be more proud of what Streetwise Opera has achieved, and that I was able to be a part of it. The next step as Projects Assistant is learning how all of this – the workshops, the production affects the participants and how the arts is and continues to be a positive factor in people’s daily lives.

2 Nov 2010

My first couple of weeks as Projects Assistant have been exciting and fun but equally challenging. I chose to apply for the role because it was an opportunity to learn how an organisation uses the art forms of music and film and how this benefits the performers who attend the weekly music workshops. Working in an arts charity that really looks to benefit its users has been an aspiration of mine and I couldn’t think of a better organisation to start this journey. I have learnt so much from the office team, the performers and the professional artists and filmmakers alike. It’s great to work in an environment where everyone is equally enthusiastic to create quality productions and give people who have experienced homelessness a voice through music.

I have been given significant responsibility which is exciting as I get to put a stamp on the organisation. One of which is organising travel and accommodation for 70 people who are all coming from different parts of the country from Manchester to Middlesbrough. I have also had the opportunity to sing at a workshop which is always a lot of fun! Right now everyone is working towards the annual production Fables – A Film Opera.  Already I have assisted the Project Manager and Liaison Officer on two film shoots. Fables comprises four film operas about four very different fables. The performers both sing and star in the short film operas. The premiere is in December as part of the Spitalfields Winter Festival, with its setting at Shoreditch Church where the films will be shown alongside live performances. Seeing how everything runs is inspiring and I am excited to see it all come to fruition. I would like to thank the DCMS, Arts Council, Jerwood Foundation and Jerwood Charitable Foundation for creating this amazing opportunity. It’s great to have the opportunity to work in a sector that’s so important. I would also like to thank Streetwise Opera for offering me this role.