OPERAS | KOANGA

THE KOANGA SCHOOLS
AND EDUCATION PROJECT

After a visit to the school prior to the performance when the pupils will get a “taster” involving singing, drumming, capoeira and music and the visit to Sadler’s Wells to see the matinee performance of KOANGA, each school group will decide upon their theme and devise their own piece. With the support of the Director and Composer, each group will devise a short music-theatre piece (10 minutes) exploring the issues raised by their theme. Each school will have the opportunity of including drumming and capoeira in their presentation. The result will be an 80 minute sequence of imaginative work, which the children will perform for each other and their friends and families in the theatre after day of rehearsing and performing.

EDUCATION PROGRAMME

koangaIn addition to these artistic endeavours, Pegasus will create the KOANGA Educational Project, a pupil-centred project emphasising participation and inclusion. School children aged 9-13 will take part in workshops where they will create their own take on the KOANGA story, developing their own storylines as either a “prequel” or sequel based on the themes of slavery, oppression, treachery, love, magic and emancipation. The workshops will be instrumental in bringing to the forefront the the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Great Britain.

Our prime objective is to enable the pupils to create, giving unobtrusive guidance to foster confidence in their musical opinions and musical abilities, decision-making, lyric-writing, musical composition, singing, team koangaskills and collaboration. We also intend that vocal training will be central to this work – pupils will be encouraged to explore a variety of musical styles, African drumming, the Brazilian art capoeira and other ethnic idioms. Moreover, the project also develops key skills such as creative writing, positive social interaction and verbal communication. The exact content of the workshops will be agreed after discussion with teachers to determine what they would feel most beneficial for the children and complement national curriculum requirements, and with our partner organisations to gain the benefit of their perspectives.koanga

This aspect of the project will also be supported by a visit to the Horniman’s Museum where an opportunity of handling African artefacts will be provided to enhance the experience of the opera and the curriculum studies. An artist will be on hand to answer any creative questions the pupils might have. The artist will also spend a morning or afternoon session with the participating schools, helping the young people to see artistically (i.e., Influences from African art outside Africa) and theatrically (interpreting what they have seen into props and staging)

Direct links will be made between Pegasus Opera Company web-site and a number of the major museums and other important sites in the UK where special exhibits on the bicentenary will or have taken place, creating opportunities for cross-curricular projects. As well as a musical voyage of discovery for school children, this project promises to be a rich resource for exploring issues of racial and cultural conflict both historical and current, in particular, the long struggle to abolish slavery.

The project will culminate with 5 schools coming together in the theatre to perform to their peers, teachers and parents their own created music theatre piece developed from their workshops based on the chosen themes from KOANGA.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMME

We will incorporate talented amateurs, 30 young people between the ages of 14-25, with our professional company, affording them an opportunity to be intimately involved in a major production at a central London theatre. After auditions publicised with particular emphasis on the BME community, community members will be offered the chance to take part in the koangaopera as the Community Chorus. They will receive training and attend workshops and rehearsals alongside professional artists – a director, conductor and choreographer as well as other singers. This will be followed by Pegasus Opera’s production of KOANGA, starring the Community Chorus alongside their professional counterparts.

Past experience has shown that mentoring relationships develop between professionals and amateurs which long outlast the project itself. Moreover, we strive to put talented amateurs in contact with suitable professionals or advise them about other projects where they can receive continued vocal training and performance opportunities.

Download the PEGASUS EDUCATION BROCHURE.