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Reimagining Weber: New L&P Project Announced

Mon 9 October 2017

Local school children and older adults are collaborating to create a new piece inspired by Blackheath Halls Community Opera’s production of Weber’s Der Freischütz (The Magic Bullets).

Over a period of six weeks, young musicians from Deptford Green School and participants from Trinity Laban’s Inspired not Tired programme – a series of music and dance activities for older adults – have been meeting to create their own collaboration entitled Six Magic, Seven Tragic.

Participants have taken inspiration from the opera’s themes of folklore, nature, magic and love, as well as reimagining aspects of staging, lighting and costumes. The aim of the project is to build understanding between groups from different generations and experience and engage with music creatively.

Speaking about the project so far, one Inspired not Tired participant commented “[It] has been collectively enjoyable because we are working with a different age groups and talent. Input from the tutors has helped a lot and we’ve come up with come complex sounds.”

Commenting on the benefits of the intergenerational project for the pupils, Michael Rogers, Head of Music at Deptford Green School said –

“The experience is great for our pupils, learning how to create music to a stimulus, in a group sharing ideas all valuable to their future skills and is also wonderful for building confidence.”

Lizzy Green – Projects Manager, Learning and Participation (Music) at Trinity Laban – furthered –

“To have older adults working with the young people in the same space at Deptford Green School is a real strength of this project. Our inspiring project leaders Natasha Lohan and Aga Serugo-Lugo take each individual’s ideas into account when generating the creative response to the opera, building understanding between groups from different generations.”  

Six Magic, Seven Tragic culminates in a sharing on Monday 16 Oct 18.00h at Deptford Green School. Admission is free but must be booked online in advance via the web page.