The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2024 countdown

OperaUpClose is delighted to be joining the 2024 Big Give Christmas Challenge to raise funds for our next project for 3–5-year-olds, Opera for the Very Young - Stories through Sound, inspired by David Wiesner’s magical picture book, Flotsam.

The Big Give #ChristmasChallenge 2024:

The 2024 Big Give Christmas Challenge runs from midday on Tuesday 3 December to midday on Tuesday 10 December.  Funds raised will support an extended series of creative workshops in primary schools across Southampton and the Isle of Wight, culminating in a newly co-created opera to inspire the next generation of young artists and audience members.

Every donation made during the campaign week will be doubled, so whether large or small, your gift will have twice the impact. 

Thanks to the generous support of the Big Give champions and a select group of donors, our match-funding pot stands at £4,500. To make it all count, we need to raise a further £4,500 during The Big Give #ChristmasChallenge campaign week and reach our crucial target of £9,000.

“Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” 
Sir Ken Robinson quote from TED talk entitled "Do Schools Kill Creativity?

 “...whose stories are told, who tells the stories and who gets to make opera and music theatre are questions which have been important to the sector for a long time and are now imperative”
ACE report Let’s Create: Opera and Music Theatre Analysis, March 2024.

 “OperaUpClose are providing aspiration and inspiration to very young children in some of the most deprived areas of the country. An amazing opportunity!”
Quote from Kath Page, Southampton Music Hub, 2024.

“I like singing, it makes me feel merry.”
Co-creation workshop 2024 young participant.

Throughout the campaign week, we'll be sharing insights from David Wiesner, author and illustrator of Flotsam, on the importance of bringing his work to life through opera. We’ll also be hearing from Nia Collins, Isle of Wight Lead at South Coast Music Partnership, who will discuss the critical role of integrating opera into music curriculums, exploring the long-term benefits for pupil's creativity and appreciation for the arts. And we’ll hear from key venues about the importance of producing works that engage young audiences, their families, and the wider community.  Stay tuned for these powerful insights!

David Wiesner, author and illustrator of Flotsam, expresses his excitement about adapting his award-winning book  Flotsam  into an opera, particularly how children will experience the ‘infectiousness’ of live performance, contrasted with the more intimate experience of reading. 

What activity will the campaign support? 

As part of the government’s new National Plan for Music Education, schools must ensure that EVERY child has the chance to experience live music. However, low provision of specialist music in schools, particularly in Early Years delivery cause significant barriers to engagement. (South Coast Music Partnership ‘24). 

 We know that engaging with live music and opera from a very early age: 

• fosters a lifelong appreciation of the arts  

• enhances cognitive development through developing literacy and numeracy skills 

• enhances emotional development through storytelling and creative expression 

• supports the future of opera   

 In partnership with the South Coast Music Partnership, Opera for the Very Young – Stories through Sound is part of our long-term commitment to growing a lasting body of work for the very young that will have future life and impact.    

We are looking to raise £9,000 to deliver an extended series of collaborative and co-creative workshops in primary schools across Southampton and the Isle of Wight, most of which are experiencing limitations in delivering the music curriculum for early years.  Led by a team of writer/director, designer and composer, the workshops will engage children aged 3-5 and their teachers, using Flotsam by David Wiesner - recognised by the BookTrust (2024) as “breath-taking, intricately detailed” - as inspiration for a co-creative process that combines music-making with visual art and notation through mark-making. The aim is to build teachers’ skills and confidence in delivering creative music activities, while also generating material for a new opera that will tour schools and theatres. We believe this enhanced level of engagement, and the agency it provides, is the path to fostering a life-long love of the arts.  

How does the match-funding work? 

We have secured a ‘match-funding pot’ of £4,500 from very generous supporters of our work.  This means that every pound you donate during the campaign week will be matched pound-for-pound, effectively doubling the impact of your contribution. For example, if you donate £20, it will be matched to become £40, pushing us closer to our goal.   

How far will a donation go? 

• £10 – Contributes to workshop materials, like art supplies and props, that help pupils in Early Years settings to engage with the co-creation process and bring Flotsam to life. 

• £20 – Supports travel expenses, ensuring our creative team can reach schools across Southampton and the Isle of Wight, especially those in more rural areas.  

• £100 – Covers a portion of the director/writer’s fees, enabling the development of unique co-created music with a focus on artistic integrity and excellence. 

• £200 – Helps fund the fees of musicians, bringing high professional standards to the workshops, reflecting and expanding the imaginations of the very young. 

• £500 – Supports facilitation fees, allowing workshop leaders to empower teachers and create musical legacy, unlocking the potential of the music curriculum.