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The birth
of W11 Opera W11
W11 Opera was founded by four string
teachers in W11 with the conductor Nicholas Kraemer when they put
on Britten's Noye's Fludde in 1971. The cast included 100 local
children.
The exhilaration of that first production led to
the development of the opera together with the vision and drive
of both Timothy and Nicholas Kraemer. Regular commissioning began
in 1972 when it became apparent that there was scarcely any repertoire
for the 9-18 age group.
W11 Opera - current and future
Today the opera still pursues the policy of hiring a professional
music and production team whilst retaining the original ethos of
relying on skills and time given by parents.
A core team of administrators, all volunteers, plan
productions and commission three years in advance. The scale of
the opera together with a three month rehearsal period ensure a
standard of performance which no one school can match within a normal
timetable nor with resources.
The opera, a registered charity, costs £35,000 to
put on and it not eligible either for Arts Council funding or for
Lottery funding. Yet it has commissioned more operas since 1971
than any major opera company in the UK!
Two years ago, the high standard of the opera was
finally rewarded by a booking at the Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal
Opera House, for the 2001 commission by Graham Preskett and John
Kane, Flying High.
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