University News Last updated 24 March
BMus alumna, soprano and Festival Director Abigail Kelly was honoured with a Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Impact Award for Streetwise Opera’s Re:Discover Festival.
Abigail’s achievements, which include performing and directing operas for children and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) audiences, were spotlighted at the RPS awards, which were hosted at RBC earlier this month, the first time they have been held in Birmingham.
Re:Discover, which ran as a series of two-day events in London, Manchester and Nottingham, featured performances by Abigail, soloists, ensembles and Streetwise Opera, a non-profit organisation that gives homeless or formerly homeless people the opportunity to perform opera.
The Streetwise performers co-created three short operas with Black composers which were imbued with African and Caribbean heritage and the lives of the composers that they had been inspired by.
The project was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and included a mix of musical and theatrical performances, family and schools’ workshops, and visual art. The artworks were created by the performers as a response to what they had learned about Black classical composers and the parallels between the composers’ lives and their own.
Abigail said: “Streetwise Opera is a fantastic company doing wonderful things and I’m thrilled that this festival has been recognised by the RPS.
“I’ve always been curious about Black classical composers and tried to include music by people with whom I share a cultural heritage in everything I do. At the Conservatoire, Maureen Brathwaite, my singing teacher, gave me a copy of an African American spiritual arranged by composer and arranger Moses Hogan, suggesting that I sing it in my first-year recital as something that I connected with on a deep cultural and spiritual level. Since then, performing music by Black classical composers has been an important part of my career.
RBC Vice Principal Shirley Thompson said: “Those of us who knew Abigail as a student wouldn’t be surprised by the richness of the career she’s developed. The variety of her portfolio means that she’s a great role model for our students. We’re really delighted with her success in the RPS awards.”
This award is the latest of several that Abigail has achieved:
- Honorary Membership of RBC
- Black and African Caribbean Young Achiever Award
- The Educational Achievement Award from The Council of Black Led Churches
- Silver medal from the Worshipful Company of Musicians
- Abigail was nominated in the Music Category at the International Women of Excellence Awards
Pictured: Alumna, soprano and Festival Director Abigail Kelly