OPENCOV OPERATIC ENCOUNTERS : COMMON VOICES PRESENTATION APRIL 2010

A cultural collaboration which brings together opera organisations and higher education institutions from Europe and China and originated in the DARE partnership between the University of Leeds and Opera North.

I In 2006, the University of Leeds and Opera North entered a formal contracted collaborative venture with four objectives: to be a leader in the creative and intellectual life of the city, with an impact felt regionally, nationally and internationally; to produce programmes, events and publications that are beyond the reach of either partner acting alone; to build connections between the classical and contemporary arts, and between the arts and contemporary society; to engage new participants in creativity and academic achievement. This programme has two distinct but overlapping faces, one public, and the other in house. These are unified by three core themes – knowledge, skill and performance. Each strand represents a facet of the collaboration and interacts with the others to generate a unique creative and intellectual force. Activities range from community projects to focused research. The programme is conceived as developing initially over four years, with the partnership established by It has now been determined to renew the agreement for a further four years.

OPENCOV The two year project, funded by the European Cultural Co-operation with Third Countries programme, aims to form long lasting partnerships and promote cultural understanding between Europe and China through workshops, performance, and research.

Project Meetings (there was also interaction between meetings to give the project a total of eleven episodes) One – planning by partner contacts Shanghai, three days in September 2008 Two – workshops and investigations Shanghai, seven days in January 2009 Three- workshops and investigations Leeds, seven days in April 2009 Four- workshops and investigations Bregenz, four days in August 2009 Five - workshops and investigations Shanghai, seven days in April 2010 Six – where next ? partner contact meeting Shanghai September 2010

Project Members Lead partner : University of Leeds : School of Performance & Cultural Industries, School of Music, Institute of Communications Studies, Department of East Asian Studies. European partners : Opera North, UK; Sibelius Academy Finland; Bregenz Opera Festival, Austria. Chinese partner : Shanghai Theatre Academy (all departments including Opera College)

Project Organisation : CAT There are two interlocked groups in the project. The core artistic team (CAT) comprises three UK artists and three Chinese artists. In the final whole group chapter, the CAT have been joined for some sessions by a composer staff member of the Opera College, and head of the STA Directing Department, Professor Lu Ang. Professor Lu Ang was a visiting Professor at the University of Leeds, August – December 2009

Project Organisation : CCG Their work is set in the context of parallel exploration of the cultural context of opera within Europe and China - history, development, education, business, management, politics, transmission, audiences - by the cultural contexts group (CCG). There is a documentation team drawn from the CCG which is recording the creative process of the CAT and the interaction of the artists.

CAT Theme A recurrent European and Chinese folk tale – a baby, two women claiming to be the baby’s mother and a judge who must rule between them. Their work in progress will be shared with the partner and with groups of students in Leeds and Shanghai.

Cultural Contexts Group Focus The Cultural Contexts Group is establishing networks and sharing trends in the social and cultural industries role of the art form ‘opera’ in China and EU. It will discuss findings in progress in meetings with staff from partner organisations in each chapter.

Going Public The final outcome of the project will be disseminated via academic and professional networks, publications, web site, a DVD and a symposium in February 2011.