Saturday 16th July 2022

13:15 & 16:00

 

The Parks Sports Centre, Howdon Road,

North Shields NE29 6TL

 

The two performances of HOME on Saturday 16th July were the culmination of a project started in 2019 by Tête à Tête in partnership with Royal Northern Sinfonia, North Tyneside Council and local community groups, to prototype what a community opera project in North Shields could be like.

 

166 participants and 22 artists came together to create a new opera using songs familiar to our adult choirs, music from Glinka’s seminal opera ‘Ruslan and Lyudmila’, dance devised by our dance group, new songs devised by our children and youth choirs, and spoken word readings written and performed by community choir members – all accompanied by three professional vocal soloists and members of the Royal Northern Sinfonia and linked together with words written by the participants that express what ‘home’ means to them.

 

At its heart was the song ‘North Shields is our Home’, co-composed by Tim Burke and 15 children from, and performed by, the schools with Royal Northern Sinfonia.

 

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HOME was initially conceived by Tête à Tête’s Music Director,Tim Burke, who led R&D workshops to develop the project in May 2019, as a collaboration between Tête à Tête, Helix Arts and Sage Gateshead. 

 

These 2022 performances were part of the inaugural Tyne Coast Festival taking place 15 – 17 July and led by Tyne Coast Arts Collective, a new group of opera singers and creatives based on Tyneside.

 

“I have to tell you, I was sobbing several times during it. It just really, really had such an emotional impact. It was just the most wonderful thing to do. I loved it” Penny, participant

 

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Produced by Tête à Tête

 

Cast & Crew

 

Director: Bill Bankes-Jones

Music Director/Arranger: Tim Burke

Choreographer: Penella Styles

Soprano: Ruth Jenkins-Róbertsson

Tenor: Austin Gunn

Bass-Baritone: Andri Björn-Róbertsson

 

Partnered with 14 players from Royal Northern Sinfonia (Flute, Clarinet, Horn, Trumpet, Percussion and Strings)

 

Also partnering with group leaders Irene Anderson (Can’t Sing Choir) Andrew Clarence (Backworth Male Voice Choir)

 

Participants
70 children from three local schools: King Edward Primary School, New York Primary & Whitehouse Primary
60 singers from Can’t Sing Choir
24 singers from Backworth Male Voice Choir
12 dancers from Forever Dance

 

Partners

 

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Can’t Sing choir

Backworth Male Voice Choir

New York Primary

King Edward Primary School

Whitehouse Primary

Forever Dance

Parks Sports Centre

Director: Bill Bankes-Jones

Music Director/Arranger: Tim Burke

Choreographer: Penella Styles

Soprano: Ruth Jenkins-Róbertsson

Tenor: Austin Gunn

Bass-Baritone: Andri Björn-Róbertsson
Partnered with 14 players from Royal Northern Sinfonia (Flute, Clarinet, Horn, Trumpet, Percussion and Strings)
Also partnering with group leaders Irene Anderson (Can’t Sing Choir) Andrew Clarence (Backworth Male Voice Choir)

Participants
70 children from three local schools: King Edward Primary, New York Primary & Whitehouse Primary
60 singers from Can’t Sing Choir
24 singers from Backworth Male Voice Choir
12 dancers from Forever Dance