Ultramarine (work-in-progress)
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Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
When the seductive myth of perfection intertwines with the pursuit of happiness what is left when perfection proves impossible?
Award winning soprano April Koyejo-Audiger fuses opera with jazz, spirituals, African folk song, and electronics, in a kaleidoscopic story that unfolds in the dressing rooms over the opening night of an unnamed opera. Through a research-and-development process focused on colourism, ageing, and female voice, April and director Ellen McDougall explore the contradictory reality of standing exposed in front of a thousand onlookers, and feeling completely invisible.
In this 60 minute sharing (including live performance of new operatic and theatrical material), April and the team will present fragments of Ultramarine developed in collaboration with community participants from all over Leeds and the surrounding areas. Come and experience this thrilling new work at an early stage of its development, discuss its evolution with the artists making it, and add your voice to the story.
Leeds New Opera Festival runs across the 5 and 7 November 2026 - check the Leeds New Opera Festival webpage for full details of our exciting programme and how you can join us.
