Woodwose

Wigmore Hall

• Composer and Librettist: Kerry Andrew
• Director: Hazel Gould
• Musical Director: Isabelle Adams
• Designer: Ruth Paton

Woodwose was Wigmore Hall Learning’s most ambitious project to date.

140 diverse members of the Westminster community aged from 8 to over 80 performed alongside internationally renowned tenor Andrew Kennedy and Wigmore Hall Learning’s resident ensemble Ignite.

Woodwose was a pioneering project in many ways…

• It was the first Community Chamber Opera in Westminster
• It turned the Wigmore Hall into a working Woman’s Institute, complete with jam stall
• It was the first time most of the participants had performed on stage in a professional venue
• It was the first of Wigmore Hall Learning’s 3-year programme of Community Chamber Projects working with the Westminster Community
• It was the first time a performance at Wigmore Hall had featured moving trees and snow falling from the ceiling
• It was the first time a Wigmore Hall Learning project has been featured on Radio 3’s In Tune
• It was the first time tenor Andrew Kennedy had played a Wildman
• It was the first time a bicycle had been ridden inside the auditorium!

Photo: Benjamin-Harte