Cranford Review 2019

English National Opera Partnership 2018-2019
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In
September 2018 Cranford Community
College embarked on a journey in
partnership with the English National Opera (ENO),
a journey which would last a year and would result
in amazing and varied access to the world of opera
both inside and outside school.
The partnership launch began with over 60 year 8
students attending an open dress rehearsal at the
London Coliseum on Tuesday 9th October 2018, to
see their production of George Gershwin’s “Porgy
and Bess”. The opera tells the story of Porgy who
is crippled, falling in love with Bess, an addict
and woman of ill repute. She is in an abusive
relationship with Crown who at the start of the story
murders Robbins, a family man, over a card game.
Porgy takes Bess in to protect her and they fall in
love. Unfortunately, Crown tries to reclaim her. He
and Porgy fight and Crown is killed. Meanwhile,
Sporting Life, a drug dealer persuades Bess to go
with him to New York as he promises her a “better
life”. At the end of the opera, Porgy, despite his
disability, leaves to find Bess and bring her home.
This is a very accessible opera with themes and
storyline which still resonate today.
This was year 8s first introduction to the world
of opera and would mark the beginning of their
understanding of what goes into making an opera.
The students began to brainstorm ideas for their
own opera thinking about music genre, storyline,
themes and characters they would want to bring to
life inspired by what they had seen.
On Thursday 11th October 2018 we welcomed
the ENO Bayliss team and nine opera singers to
Cranford for the day where they ran a packed
programme of opera workshops and performed Pop
Up Opera around the school. As the students arrived
to school they were welcomed by extracts from
various operas including Dido’s Lament for “Dido
and Aeneas” and “Summertime” from Porgy and
Bess on the concourse and in the dining hall. During
Lesson 1&2 the whole of year 9 and year 7 joined
the ENO to be part of an opera workshop and to be
entertained with extracts from more operas including
“The Queen of the Night” aria from Mozart’s “The
Magic Flute” and Musetta’s aria from “La Boheme”
by Puccini. During lessons 3 & 4, the year 8 Opera
Squad worked with the team to develop the initial
opera ideas they had brainstormed and create some