Streetwise Opera Workshop

There are many things to look forward to at the end of a working week; spending time with your friends, going home and putting your feet up and most importantly, knowing you don’t have to wake-up to an alarm in the morning. This Friday evening was different though, this Friday three quarters of “Team Comms” were heading out on a mission to find out more about Streetwise Opera!

The guys and girls at Streetwise had been kind enough to invite Rebecca (blog expert), Michael (marketeer extraordinaire) & I, to observe one of their workshops so we could truly get to grips with what they were achieving- an opportunity not many people get. I had no idea what to expect when I walked into the room, the three of us huddled together like it was our first day at school, but it didn’t take very long for every single person around us to say hi.

As we took our seats in a giant circle and began warming up, it became hugely apparent that we were not just observing. That’s ok; we can do this, one problem… I can’t sing! Streetwise isn’t just about singing; it’s about allowing people the opportunity to be creative, to express themselves and we all rose to the challenge. By the end, I was shaking limbs like nobody was watching as the confidence and energy displayed by everyone in the group was contagious.

“This Friday evening was different though, this Friday three quarters of “Team Comms” were heading out on a mission to find out more about Streetwise Opera!”

The demonstration of creativity in this particular workshop also involved the use of miming with a plastic hoop. After thinking long and hard as to what I would perform, I knew what I was going to do if I was picked. It was a classic, unbeatable- I was convinced that nobody would have this idea. When the group leader looked in our direction, after one gentleman had finished miming ‘bomb disposal expert’, it was obvious that my hula-hoop idea should be saved for another day! The enthusiasm in the room was incredible. Even the quietest people in the room suddenly sprang to life when we started singing, including our very own Michael, who is clearly an undiscovered talent!

I could let you know more about what we were singing, but instead, I suggest you all come to see Fables- A Film Opera on the 17 December as part of the Winter Festival and discover exactly what we were up to. I promise you, it will not disappoint.

Danielle Sutcliffe
Box Office Assistant

Fables – A Film Opera
Friday 17 December 2010
5.00pm, 7.00pm & 9.00pm
Shoreditch Church (St Leonard’s)
Tickets £15 (£10 restricted view)

For more information and to book visit www.spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk

Intern Diaries: My first two weeks…

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as I was coming up the narrow staircase to the Spitalfields Music office. The tube strike had meant that I’d been given an extra hour off work, a luxury I was more than willing to take! I walked in to gatecrash the Team Meeting, joined the circle, and sat there wondering what exactly an ‘IWIK’ was…

Of course, I quickly realised that Spitalfields Music was going to be an exciting and interesting place to work. First on the agenda was getting to know the programme for the Winter Festival, which was done, with colourful festival brochure in hand, by lots of event-creating across the various social networking sites we use. This also meant learning how to use some of them. I’m no technophobe, but Twitter and I have a long way to go to being best buds.

Next came a quick tour of Christ Church, our core venue, its impressive baroque outside was more than matched by the stunning and acoustically generous inside. My whistle-stop induction complete, I quickly knuckled down to work with a lot of proof-reading, and time spent on Facebook and Twitter – work-related, honest!

“I walked in to gatecrash the Team Meeting, joined the circle, and sat there wondering what exactly an ‘IWIK’ was…”

Week 1 went by in a flash, and I was getting more to grips with the way things work at Spitalfields Music. Week 2 was no less speedy. More colourful Winter Festival brochures and computer programmes to get my head round. Rebecca and I were sent to a marketing seminar at Allen & Overy with some high-flying execs from Deutsche Bank, Hammersons PLC and A&O. Aside from receiving some great advice from the panellists we realised how much we preferred our small, quirky office, to the gigantic building we were in!

The first two weeks have been a lot of fun and gone by incredibly quickly. There’s lots more to do as the festival draws near, and tonight we’re heading off to see a Streetwise Opera workshop for Fables – A Film Opera!

Michael Duffy
Marketing & Communications Intern

Artist Focus: La Nuova Musica

Among the many Monteverdi inspired concerts on offer at this year’s Winter Festival is La Nuova Musica, one of Europe’s newest and most exciting early music ensembles, is joining us once again! Lead by counter-tenor and conductor David Bates, La Nuova Musica have performed in various settings including a late night ‘cabaret’ concert in the Aldeburgh Festival Fringe and the quirky St Lawrence Whitchurch, Edgware for the London Handel Festival.

In the short time they have been together they have been praised for their “refreshingly spirited and unselfconscious vocal and instrumental performances” and in their last visit to Spitalfields for the Summer Festival, they enchanted us with John Blow’s masterpiece, Venus & Adonis. This time they open the festival, presenting a captivating selection from Monteverdi’s extraordinary ‘Concerto’, the Seventh Book of Madrigals in Christ Church Spitalfields on 13 December.

For a chance to hear this fantastic group visit lanuovamusica.co.uk

From Renaissance to Baroque
Monday 13 December 2010 7.00pm
Christ Church Spitalfields
Tickets from £5-£22

General booking opens September 28 (Join us to access priority booking)

Artist Focus: a filetta

a filetta arrive at this year’s Winter Festival  with their director, Jean-Claude Acquaviva who was just 13 years old when he founded this exceptional group!  The group are known throughout Europe for their stunning performances of Corsican polyphony including folk songs and hymns. They’ve even  dabbled in film soundtracks (including several collaborations with film composer Bruno Coulais and the soundtrack for Himalaya), theatrical & operatic collaborations, from a theatrical show based on Seneca’s Medea to operatic Marco Polo with Guillaume Depardieu, and original compositions.

They’ll be performing a flavoursome mix of plainsong, Corsican chant and original compositions at Christ Church Spitalfields on 14 December, for what promises to be an experience not to miss.

Visit our website or afiletta.com to hear a sneak preview of this exceptionally talented group.

From Corsican Soil
Tuesday 14 December 2010 8.30pm
Christ Church Spitalfields
Tickets from £5-£22

General booking opens September 28 (Join us to access priority booking)