Welsh National Opera - City Songs

City Songs
A new song cycle by the young people of Cardiff with composer Karen Wimhurstand librettist Claire Williamson.

The Song Cycle
City Songs is an exuberant song cycle about Cardiff performed by 200 young people singing with the full orchestra of Welsh National Opera. Combining music with visual arts and poetry, these extremely enthusiastic youngsters are creating their own personal vision of Cardiff.

Performed at St David’s Hall, Cardiff as part of the British Council's conference - A Sense of Place, City Songs is the culmination of a collaboration between Welsh National Opera’s MAX Department and St David's Hall, working with schools in Cardiff.

The Process
Welsh National Opera’s MAX Department is now into its second year and continues to create a diverse programme of performances and projects beyond the main opera stage including community touring, participatory projects and special events which introduce people to live music and opera in different ways. WNO MAX seeks to maximise the potential of opera to electrify and enrapture, through participation in, and preparation for live opera experiences.

At the beginning of this year, WNO MAX, together with Multi A in Bristol, commissioned composer Karen Wimhurst and librettist Claire Williamson to create the song cycle, City Songs with the children of Bristol. It was performed to great acclaim in April 2003.

In September this year, Karen Wimhurst, Claire Williamson together with Welsh poet Moira Andrew will repeat the process with the young people of Cardiff to explore their city and make City Songs their own. Together with a team of singers from Welsh National Opera, the children will get out and about in Cardiff to research its history and find out about their own sense of citizenship. Back in their classrooms, through creative writing, visual arts and music, they will document their findings and share their stories and cultural heritage with their community. Over the coming months they will learn the music for City Songs ready for their performance at St David’s Hall on 26 November.

The richness and imagination of their work will make their piece something very special indeed.