Opera is storytelling at its finest and, in our opinion, one of the best ways to engage with families and young people. Welsh National Opera’s Programmes and Engagement department work tirelessly around the year to produce fun and informative experiences for audiences of all ages and backgrounds, opening the door to the magical world of opera. We caught up with Imogen Llewellyn, a Producer for the Programmes and Engagement department to find out more about her work.
‘I grew up going to Family Concerts and there’s nothing quite like the buzz of a packed auditorium with a full orchestra on stage, giving it their all. My Dad is a conductor, and I knew very early on that I didn’t want to be on the stage like him (although I do still really enjoy playing the piano for fun). My skills were better suited to the backstage professions. I am responsible for Welsh National Opera’s family activity, which includes Play Opera LIVE and Schools Concerts both in Cardiff and across the UK.
Play Opera was born during the Coronavirus pandemic so that families were able to enjoy opera stories and music from their own homes. The online interactive family programme has since developed into a series of live concerts and it has been the most wonderful experience seeing live audiences enjoying our performances in person once again. I always feel so emotional watching young people engage with classical music. Children have few inhibitions and wear their hearts on their sleeves.
With Play Opera LIVE we showcase not only the performing side of the Company (WNO Orchestra, Chorus and soloists) but also the backstage departments at WNO, demonstrating what goes into putting an opera on stage. We do this by offering free front of house activities prior to the concert - prop and costume making workshops, wigs and makeup demonstrations to name a few. We also try and make the concert itself as theatrical as possible, and include set and lighting, along with soloists in costume and wigs. We hope to make the concerts educative so that families have a better understanding of the art form and what we do as a Company.
I’m always about on concert day. As Producer, I am the point of call for anything and everything. This means I could be in rehearsal deciding on entrance cues and lighting designs, helping set up front of house activities, before enjoying the concert from the auditorium.
One of my favourite parts of the Play Opera LIVE experience is the audience’s response to the concert, and the real impact it has on WNO Company members. WNO Orchestra spend a lot of their working lives in ‘the pit’, but with a concert of this sort, the performers are engaging directly with the audience. The response the orchestra receive from the audience – the cheering, whooping, clapping, and screaming - blows us away every single time.
I’ve already started planning the next set of Play Opera LIVE concerts, which opens in Cardiff in September 2022 and in Spring 2023 we’ll be back with a School Concert tour. The plan is to hit more venues and reach more people in future years.’
