Mark Duley, organist and choirmaster at St Nicholas' Collegiate Church, Galway, introduces Paper Boat, a new opera conceived to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the church.
Inspired by the community operas of Benjamin Britten, where a core of professional performers is augmented by local singers and musicians, Paper Boat involves over 100 performers and takes place on Saturday 23rd April.
Last week, we gathered in St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church to start chorus rehearsals for our new community opera Paper Boat, and turned to the first number, Night Is Falling, which tells of a boat capsized, and a mother and daughter stumbling towards the lights of an unfamiliar city.
We were all gripped by the relevance to what is happening in Europe right now – whether on the shores of Dover, or further east as mothers and children flee war-torn Ukraine.
Jessica Traynor’s extraordinary libretto weaves together past and present, telling a story of human endurance and sanctuary through the lens of history and mythology, as well as through our own eyes and the events of our world. It also celebrates the 700 years through which this church has stood at the centre of the city, and the cultural and spiritual sanctuary it continues to offer to all who come to its doors.
There we were, within those very walls, bringing to life Elaine Agnew’s gritty and colourful score, and this story that is at once ancient and modern, told in the liturgy of that place through countless scripture readings and now with this wonderful new opera. It was a moment that will live in the memory and continues to inspire as we tackle the rest of the work.
Whilst the chorus was rehearsing in Galway that day, in nearby Athenry the young string ensemble taking part, alongside the professional players, was getting to grips with the parts specially written for them by Elaine. Also rehearsing later that day was St Patrick’s Band, for the "cameo" moments in the opera where the ringing tones of brass instruments will signify the onslaught of Cromwellian forces on the city.
All this activity is a reminder that the opera was conceived as a community piece, bringing together different Galway ensembles and a massed choir to tell this story of the city. Whilst the ravages of the Covid pandemic have altered the scope and the numbers involved, there is still a great reach from one end of the county to the other, with singers and players from Tuam, Gort and Athenry.
Even the audience will participate, as conductor Sinead Hayes has skilfully woven into the final scene a rousing chorus for all to sing, based on the tune of The West’s Awake, and setting Jessica’s Blessing Song, bringing the opera to a close: "Oh burning city, born in flames, phoenix city that remains, home to the living and the dead…."
Paper Boat, presented by Music for Galway and Galway 2020 in association with Irish National Opera, receives its World Premiere on Saturday 23rd April 2022, with a pair of performances at St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church - find out more here.
I Claim Sanctuary is a site-specific sound installation for St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church by artist Philip Fogarty, commissioned in conjunction with Paper Boat. Entwining sounds from past, present and future, the installation will be available to experience until the end of June 2022.
