‘ Where are the wild ones?’  -  the opera

is a project  to make an opera in collaboration with Northumberland school children that tells the story of Prudghor, ancient fish God, who sends wild salmon up and down the river Tyne on their mysterious journey from Greenland to Kielder.

With its music being made from the sonification of salmon count, river Tyne data and sounds from the waters themselves, this project uses nature to get inside nature, unleashing another dimension through audio to tell this untold story. With the artists inspiring the children with new sound worlds combined with facts on the wild fish that swim past their back doors, they have truly collaborated to devise the opera’s libretto and arias also using the river’s map as their score.

“Where are the wild ones – the opera”  will premiere at The Festival of the North East, July 2013.  Spatialised through six speakers, it will be a new electro-acoustic piece, the score projected as film, performed with choir, ensemble, opera singers and two films of the underwater world of the river Tyne.  ‘WWO?‘  also collaborates with scientists from the Environment Agency North East, local anglers, software programmers, and the chief helmsman of the RNLI. It is supported by National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Directed by Kaffe Matthews with Laura Harrington.

This site is currently under development. Thank you for patience. km. march 2012