Case Study: Kitty Casey, Silver Achiever

Kitty completed her Silver Arts Award by learning the art of opera singing! Here's how her experience went.

Case Study: Kitty Casey, Silver Achiever

My name is Kitty Casey, I am 15 and I want to become an opera singer. I completed a Silver Arts Award, based on my performances in the opera 'Carmen' at Glyndebourne.

In 2015 I took part in a Glyndebourne workshop based on the opera 'Carmen.' My sister, Gigi and I auditioned and were both cast in the children's chorus.

The Education Department at Glyndebourne asked if I would like to complete an Arts Award (based on the experience) and put me in touch with a fantastic advisor called Clare Summons. She told me to start writing a diary and take lots of pictures! The portfolio that I built up over a period of rehearsals and performances, is one of my most treasured possessions. So much hard work went into it; it is a wonderful reminder of a very special time which has helped me to decide upon my future career.

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There is no better feeling that being on stage at Glyndebourne, I sang in 15 performances of Carmen in the Glyndebourne festival and thanks to my diary and Arts Award portfolio I will never forget it.

I attended and reviewed a different production of Carmen in 2015 at the ENO, as part of the Arts award. That was a wonderful experience. To hear the opera sung in English, that I had worked so hard to learn perfectly in French and to see the different staging interpretations for the same music.

When it came to sharing my Arts Skills, I had the opportunity to sing to and teach elderly people about 'Carmen,' at a very special Glyndebourne picnic! The Raise Your Voice project brings elderly people and those suffering with dementia into Glyndebourne to sing and gain confidence from opera. This was an incredibly rewarding part of the Arts Award process for me.

Completing the Silver Arts Award is an achievement that I am very proud of. It made me think about what I want to do with my life and how I might achieve my dream, of becoming an opera singer. Since completing my award, I was lucky enough to be cast in a small principal role in the 2016 Glyndebourne Festival production of 'The Cunning Little Vixen.' It was every bit as wonderful as my summer of Carmen, only this time I had to learn to sing in Czech!

Author

Luke Taylor

Luke Taylor Contributor

I work as the Network Administrator for Voice. Having completed my apprenticeship at Unit Twenty Three, I continue my work supporting Voice and the Youth Network in whatever way possible. Music is my passion, and I will happily talk about all the bands you've probably never heard of!

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