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Chinese opera devised by 3,000 children wins classical award
Louise Jury14.05.09
A Chinese opera created by 3,000 primary school children in Hackney has won one of classical music's top awards.
Pupils from nine schools took part in workshops to devise music and create costumes for Confucius Says, which took the Royal Philharmonic Society's education prize.
The opera, led by the Hackney Music Development Trust, premiered at the Hackney Empire last summer with 300 of the children singing alongside professional leads. Judges called it an “inspirational achievement”.
It is the second time the Hackney Music Development Trust has taken the award for education in four years. Its rivals this year included Welsh National Opera. London's dominance in the British music scene was rewarded with a string of honours at last night's ceremony, held with Radio 3 at the Dorchester Hotel.
Valery Gergiev, the principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra who is about to bring his Mariinsky company to London from St Petersburg, won the conductor's honour. And Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the London Philharmonic Orchestra's guest conductor, won the young artists category.
English National Opera took the opera and music theatre prize for its “creative ambition”. With its finances now back in balance, the company mounted 10 new productions last year.
Other awards went to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and singers Susan Bullock and Thomas Quasthoff. Daniel Barenboim was shortlisted for the instrumentalist award for his Beethoven sonata concerts on the South Bank but lost out to Young Dutch violinist Janine Jansen.
Reader views (3)
Ajh?London?
You're probably bilingual with that name anyway like most 'Londoners' so you have the upper hand over the Steves of this world.
- Eddie, London
Just as you do, Steve?
- Ajh, London, UK
Does anyone on hackney actually know any Chinese?I only ask as they seem to struggle with English over there.
- Steve, London
