Artists
Douglas Boyd – Conductor
Karen Gillingham – Director
Roxanna Panufnik – Composer
Jessica Duchen – Librettist
Adrianna Forbes-Dorant – Dalia
Merit Ariane – Aisha
Nadine Benjamin – Maya
Jonathan Lemalu – Harry
Ed Lyon – Fred
Andrew Watts – Roger
Rhiannon Newman Brown – Designer
Ben Pickersgill – Lighting Designer
Natasha Khamjani – Choreographer
Gulwali Passarlay – Refugee & Activist
Manas Ghanem – Community Liaison
Garsington Opera Youth & Adult Companies
Millbrook Primary School Youth Company
Amwaj Choir – Palestine
Al-Farah Choir – Syria
Programme
Panufnik Dalia
A new “People’s Opera”, co-created and performed by 180 amateur & professional participants, about a refugee Syrian girl who triumphs over adversity to follow her dream: a story which champions diversity through music to highlight what makes us all human.
Dalia, a new opera by composer Roxanna Panufnik, librettist Jessica Duchen and director Karen Gillingham, has been commissioned by Garsington Opera to engage local participants of all ages from diverse backgrounds, with professional and emerging artists for new audiences in a creative community opera.
The opera, premiering in summer 2022, is an original story, developed in close consultation with refugee organisations, sports charities and practitioners. The central character, Dalia – a young girl of 12, arrives in Britain as a refugee from Syria having lost her family in traumatic circumstances. Fostered by a local family, she discovers a passion for cricket. She follows her dream but must contend, however, with racism from the community, battle her demons and make an impossible decision.
Sung in English with English supertitles
Prices & Discounts
£30 – £60
Concessions available
Booking information:
Ticketing through Garsington Opera
Performance dates & times:
28, 30, 31 July 2022
Start time: Thursday & Saturday 7.30pm, Sunday 3pm (matinee)