Cambridge Youth Opera (CYO) have commissioned Nathan to compose two new songs as part of their ongoing creative project ‘Footprints Through Time’. The project was inspired by a collaboration with the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, where young people from CYO were able to learn about archeological finds from the region. From this experience the idea of an opera emerged…
As CYO describes: ‘The young people were inspired by the Trumpington Bed Burial to write the story of a ghost of a young Saxon girl who meets her modern counterpart. The action takes place on Trumpington Meadows housing development, where the real Saxon girl was discovered.’
There then followed a series of workshops creating the story of the opera, composing song lyrics and creating designs and images for the opera.
Two songs were then set to music by Nathan: Roby sees the Ghost – the ghost of the Saxon girl tries to attract the attention of her modern counterpart – and then Odilia, where the Saxon girl Odilia sings of her longing to be remembered.
This project was made posible thanks to the generous support of the University of Cambridge. More details about the project as a whole can be found at the CYO website.