LOGS pupil Esme Parsons will join world class singers on stage when Carmen opens at Glyndebourne opera house this week.
Esme, in Year Seven, plays one of the street children caught up in the tragic story of a gypsy girl fighting for freedom to live and love as she chooses in a world dominated by violent men. It ends in murder. Esme and her fellow members of the Children’s Chorus have been working at weekends and missing some school lessons since February as they learned their songs – in French – and then began rehearsing on stage.
This is Esme’s second major show at Glyndebourne after appearing in La Boheme two years ago, so she knows what to expect when Carmen opens before a packed house on Thursday, May 16.
Esme said: “It is a huge commitment, missing time with friends and trying to keep up with schoolwork while learning the music and the French and even dance steps. But I know all that will be forgotten the moment we start performances on Thursday.
“There is a wonderful orchestra and lots of amazing singers, all working with set builders and directors and costume makers – Glyndebourne is a huge community all working together to create magic, the very best opera possible.”
“There is nothing like standing on stage at the end when the curtain goes up and we step forward to takes our bows, with the audience cheering and clapping. I know that will happen with Carmen because the whole show is a wow!”
Esme has been at LOGS since Reception and she says her music and singing teachers helped train her voice and give her the confidence to apply for her first audition at Glyndebourne three years ago.
“The school has always encouraged me to do my best and not beat myself up if sometimes I fail, whether at an opera audition or in a netball match. Thank you to all my brilliant teachers.”
Opera is not everyone’s favourite form of show, although it began as the pop music of its day in the 17th century – the word opera is Italian and it means “work” as in “musical work”.
Carmen is tipped to be the hottest show of this summer. Carmen works in a factory by day but she is also secretly in a rebel gang of smugglers. She a natural leader, a passionate temptress who refuses to be intimidated by anyone, whether sexist soldiers with guns or her controlling and violent boyfriend, Don Jose. When Carmen rejects Don Jose and then falls for a glamorous bullfighter (Escamillo), she knows her fate is sealed, but she refuses to be bullied or frightened.
Director Diane Paulus, who has won awards for shows on Broadway in America, takes an opera that was written by Georges Bizet in 1875 and created dramatic scenes that you could see on the TV news today as women fight all kinds of repression around the globe.
Shows run throughout the summer at Glyndebourne, so Esme will have late nights and busy weekends as people come from across the world to put on their best dresses or dinner suits to see the show and enjoy a champagne picnic in the beautiful grounds at the opera house, just outside Lewes.
Highlight of the run will be a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the Proms, the world’s greatest classical musical festival.
Parents Brendon and Andrea Parsons said: “Esme did not speak her first word, she sang it, and she has not stopped singing since. Mostly it is Taylor Swift but she also slips into Puccini in Italian and now Bizet in French.
“LOGS has been brilliant for Esme, tuning her musical ability but also encouraging her to be brave and do her best in every part of her life, whether in sport, maths or in forging lifelong friendships. The LOGS ethos is strong in Esme, so thank you to all staff at Morley House and at the senior school.
“Glyndebourne is world famous for staging operas that overwhelm your senses, stunning sets, breathtaking voices and an orchestra that shakes the heart. Having seen a final dress rehearsal, we know that Carmen is going to be a major hit this year, it could not be more exciting, more wonderful, or more relevant.
“We do not know what Esme will do when she grows up, but we do know she will be unafraid, trying her best – and she will be singing.”
Esme has written her own article about her Glyndebourne experience this year (see below).
You can find out more about Carmen on the Glyndebourne website by following this link: https://www.glyndebourne.com/festival/
May 9th Final act/ steps
I am behind stage with the other members of the children’s chorus, sitting on crowded wooden steps while the director is running through the end of the final act, Act 4. We are only on stage for half of the act. We spend 30 minutes here, whispering while the adult performers and other important people (such as the musical director) walk past us. We can hear the fabulous voices from the stage. Of course, it is in French so we can’t understand everything. The audience will be able to see subtitles above the stage. When we return for to rehearse the curtain call we will be among a cast of 50 singers taking our bows. Carmen is going to be a very big show at Glyndebourne this year.
All the acts and what we do
The children’s chorus are on stage in Act 1 and Act 4. We are all playing the role of street kids, without decent clothes, or food and a lot of us don’t even have parents. There is a mix of ages between 9 and 14. We spent most of our rehearsals now learning the acting. The director, who has come from Broadway shows in America, tells us background info about our lives of poverty to help us get our roles right, such as facial expressions. We have a choreographer who directs our movements on the sets, which are awesome. The rest of our rehearsals are with the conductor and with the orchestra. They are fantastic, of course – this is the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Glyndebourne ! In my last show they had 22 violins. Rehearsals are often three hours long and as we get closer to opening night they stretch to10 hours!
Dressing rooms
During breaks, we go to the café outside at Glyndebourne. We are provided with a snack to keep us going until lunch if it is a long rehearsal. After break we return to our dressing rooms. The girls share a large room with dressing tables and mirrors with lights around them. Sometimes we can spend more than two hours in there so we all bring homework or something else to keep us entertained. Since we miss a lot of school, there tends to be a good pile of homework to work through. Yippee! One of the three chaperones brings a bag full of card games. Uno flip is a popular one. Surprise, surprise, we are not allowed our phones at all once we arrive. They are put in named pouches and kept at the front desk.
Commitment such as crew/ hair makeup/ language coach/ conductor rehearsal
In total, all the children chorus members have been rehearsing for three months. The first half of our time was spent on learning the French lyrics with specialist language and music tutors. Even at home, we are sent recordings of our French coach singing the songs, so our pronunciation is perfect. On full dress rehearsals we have our hair and make-up done including costume. There is much hair wax involved and washing off the make-up is not easy. Every member of the young chorus is more than thrilled to work hard and really commit to Glyndebourne because the experience is unlike any other. I will never forget my first night performing in La Boheme two years ago, feeling part of a huge operation to create a magical show that involves people who have devoted their whole lives to being the best they can be. La Boheme had only one set and only half a dozen children. This year Carmen has four sets and a huge cast, so the whole experience is somehow grander. We will be performing from mid May right through summer, and one performance will be part of the world famous Proms at The Albert Hall in London.
Fortunately, I have always loved singing, and my LOGS singing teachers have really helped me control my voice. Double lucky that I enjoy the language classes at LOGs too.
Next stop, Opening Night on Thursday!
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