Children are being given less access to the arts during their formative years as arts subjects are given less prominence in the National Curriculum. Early access can spark an interest in young people, often leading to life-long engagement. If children do not experience live art they can go through life believing the popular myths that art is posh, elitist or irrelevant. This is a particular issue for schools outside of the major towns and cities, with limited live arts provision in their region.

Our project will take live opera into 40 schools across the UK, reaching 8,000 young people. Children will have the chance to try something new in an environment in which they are used to learning and having new experiences. Borka is based on a book that many of the young people will know, whilst also containing links to the Key Stage 1 National Curriculum. We will also be providing a Teacher’s Pack, to enable teachers to introduce some of the themes and ideas from the opera in the classroom.