“Artistically strong, educationally ambitious and culturally appropriate, Confucius Says was an inspirational achievement. ”
Thought versus Action, Head versus Heart:
a sweet and sour operatic adventure…
In May 2007, nine schools from the East Hackney Consortium Education Action Zone commissioned HMDT Music was commissioned to create a piece of work celebrating the cultural richness of China to celebrate the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games. The result was Confucius Says, a large-scale programme which engaged over 3500 students, staff and artists in both cross-curricular work and a range of creative activities culminating in a spectacular new opera performed by a cast of 350 at the Hackney Empire in July 2008.
Stephen Plaice’s libretto used Chinese myths and legends, for six core scenes that each primary school performed alongside contributing to creating their scene’s dazzling props and costumes. A series of workshops included composer Richard Taylor working with the schools to develop musical ideas and themes which he incorporated into the finished work. Uniquely the performers also included nurseries, a Special Needs School and a staff choir from all participating schools. In 2008, the accompanying exhibition at the Assembly Halls featured a wealth of written and visual work which had been developed throughout the project alongside over 300 student terracotta warriors celebration of the British Museum's exhibition.
Photos: Clive Barda
We are immensely proud that Confucius Says won the RPS Education Award in 2008.
“Thank you so much for an unforgettable evening. I thought it was a stunning performance to a remarkable standard. The children were inspiring, amusing and moving all at the same time. The range of Chinese cultural references was impressive and the music was delightful. Congratulations to everyone involved. ”
“I really enjoyed the whole project very much, from rehearsing to performing. It was brilliant to work with the team, the children. The music itself, I have to say, it was just wonderful. As a Chinese artist, who had had music education in both China and Britain, I think ‘fusion’ is not enough to describe the music. To my ears, the music was not only ‘fusion’, not only beautiful, in my opinion, it was spot-on music to tell the Chinese legends.”
“Confucius Says has been a resounding success ...and delivered an outstanding performance ...every teacher contributed in some way and the exhibition was a showcase for excellent work across all the participating schools”
“At first it was boring. Then something serious started. Like a huge fire burning everything in sight. This craved attention. It was a serious thing now. Non-stop rehearsing... then the time came. Time for the big stage. It was all so exciting I didn’t want it to stop.”
“What mattered most was the unselfconscious eagerness shown by every amateur singer or player, tiny child or senior citizen. ”
“The biggest compliment I can pay to the kids is that I enjoyed every minute of my time on the project. Polite, committed, funny, well-prepared ...they were dream colleagues! The spontaneous joy and enthusiasm that erupted on stage at the Hackney Empire after the curtain went down on the first show will stay with me for a long time – as someone who got the singing bug when I was in a school show myself, it was a wonderful reminder of why I wanted to be a singer in the first place. ”
“An amazing achievement! The kids were great, the costumes were out of this world and the finale is still going around my head. A huge accomplishment all round. ”
“Sitting at the premiere was one of the high points of my career.. the standards of performance, behaviour and quality of production in every way was fantastic.”
“It was a real tour de force for all those involved with the children at the forefront of a magic night of theatre. I hope some at least of the production will have been captured for the future – no doubt the experience will stay with the children for years. ”
“I have photographed a great many operas during my career but nothing prepared me for the sheer variety and scale of creative and artistic endeavour I encountered when working on Confucius Says. Being there from the beginning allowed me to document how the artistic ideas were transformed into reality… To see parents being taught costume-making skills by the production team struck me as a wonderful and unexpected bonus… The most exciting part was to watch and photograph the responses of the children to the music, drama, singing and dancing… I have never been more convinced of the crucial importance of giving children the opportunity to connect with the performing and visual arts at an early age.”
“Being part of the vast team that united to create this visual feast has been inspirational, challenging and life-changing experience for me. ”
“The opera was fantastic. The music, the passion was great… the sound effects, the colour of the smoke, the light – all of it was beautiful. ”
“The whole show represented a tremendous achievement on the part of the music director Jonathan Gill and the director Clare Whistler, not the least aspect of which was the clarity with which the children articulated their words. ”
“I was so happy to be given the privilege to perform with professionals. I was blown away when I heard Nü Wa (Alison) sing. Rehearsals were the best ever and I loved every single minute of it, even when I had to sing some very high notes I couldn’t sing! ”
“HMDT are past masters at school logistics and liaison and far more learning about Chinese culture than is even in the opera occurred in schools enroute to the final product…. Most impressive of all perhaps were the costumes and props, all made with the children’s involvement. The children’s sections … were perfectly well judged – challenging for those taking part in expansive melodies while remaining simple…a tribute to the musical team. Long live such high-quality work for children in our state schools.”
READ MORE
The Confucius Says Programme
Artistic team:
Composer
Richard Taylor
Writer
Stephen Plaice
Music Director
Jonathan Gill
Director
Clare Whistler
Designer
Neil Irish
Lighting Designer
Charles Balfour
Costume Supervisor/Art Coordinator
Karen Large
Projection Design
Li E Chen
Soloists:
Alison Buchanan
Wu Yanmei (MeiMei)
Damian Thantrey
Schools
Berger Primary School
Daubeney Primary School
Downsview and Ickburgh Special Needs Schools
Lauriston School
Morningside Primary School
Orchard Primary School
St Dominics RC Primary School
Wentworth Nursery
Funders:
EHSC EAZ
Arts Council England
The Ernest Cook Trust
China Now
The Learning Trust
The Mercers’ Company
Hackney Parochial Charities
The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation