Inspired by Carmen

This spring, our schools project took inspiration from Bizet's Carmen. Working with four schools, including a specialist SEND school, professional animateur and soprano Lynsey Docherty, West End composer Tim Gilvin, and baritone Tim Bagley guided more than one hundred children through an extraordinary creative journey. Together they explored storytelling, singing, movement, stagecraft and composition before creating and performing their own original mini-operetta inspired by Carmen.

Rather than simply learning songs, the children became creators. They invented lyrics, choreographed scenes, designed props, explored dramatic characters and discovered how music, words and movement combine to tell a story. Every idea mattered, every contribution was valued, and every child became part of the company.

The Impact

The diversity of the children taking part reflected the communities we serve, including children with English as an Additional Language, pupils eligible for Free School Meals, and children with additional educational needs, including Three Ways School where every pupil has an Education, Health and Care Plan.

Why It Matters

These stories remind us that the true value of arts education cannot always be measured in numbers alone. It can be found in the quiet child who volunteers an idea for the first time, in the pupil who discovers the confidence to stand centre stage, in the shared laughter of classmates creating something together, and in parents seeing abilities they had never witnessed before.

Opera has always been about telling human stories. Through our schools programme, children discover that those stories can become their own.

"We have been part of creating it – not just performing it."
Colerne Primary School

"This performance allowed people to come out of their shell and develop confidence."
St John's School

"We absolutely loved the project. It is very special as most of the class will never have experienced anything like this in their lives."
Three Ways School