New opera & cast of thousands - Radius Opera works with volunteers for Tim Benjamin's new opera

Composer Tim Benjamin's new opera The Fire Of Olympus; or, On Sticking It To The Man is being premiered by Radius Opera this Autumn on a tour which opens in Burnley and visits seven other venues. A re-imagining of the Prometheus story into the world of the 1960s, the opera includes a role for a large chorus which will be supplied by recording. 

To create the recording, Radius Opera is involving hundreds of volunteers, visiting choirs across the North of England over the next three months and leading workshops which singers take on the role of “the public” in the opera. Whilst the workshops do include singing they also include other more unusual techniques such as body percussion, improvisation, whispering, and shouting. For one participant in Skipton the workshop involved 'doing all kinds of things we’d never done before. It was challenging, we learned new things, and we had a lot of fun too.' Each choir’s work is recorded, and is being combined into a single huge choir that will be played back in surround sound in the finished opera.

Radius Opera is still looking for choirs interested in taking part, further details from the company's website.

The Fire Of Olympus; or, On Sticking It To The Man opens on Saturday 14 September 2019 at Burnley Mechanics, and then tours venues. See the Radius Opera website for details.