News

Durham University opera is encored at The Sage

(16 November 2005)

Saturday 12th November saw twenty students of the Music Department's opera and music theatre module perform at The Sage, Gateshead for the first time.

They were taking part in a production of Martyn Harry's new opera, 'Songs of Love and War', as part of The Sage's Sounds 05 Festival. Such was the demand for the performance that audience numbers were more than double the capacity of hall and the Durham students were asked to perform the complete opera again, to great acclaim.

Dr Harry, Durham University music department's Head of Composition, said of the work, "We decided to look at the second world war from a multi-cultural perspective, focusing not so much on the experiences of those who fought in the war, but the viewpoints of those people, particularly women, who were left behind. We're particularly pleased by the amazing audience response to our piece, as it is the first of a number of projects we are currently planning for The Sage."

On January 22nd 2006 Durham University Symphony Orchestra will perform a programme of orchestral music in The Sage, Gateshead's Hall 2, and in May 2006 the Northern Sinfonia will present the first of a series of workshops and concerts featuring music by Durham's postgraduate composition students.

'Songs of Love and War' will be performed again on Wednesday 16th November at The Gala Theatre as part of its 'Sixty Years On: Voices of the Home Front' festival. The opera is also being toured to primary and secondary schools in Esh Winning and in the Tees Valley.