In the last week, ENO Baylis have kick-started minimum one-year partnerships with four secondary schools through a series of whole-school takeovers: St Paul’s Academy, Greenwich; Queens Park Community School, Brent; Riverside School, Barking and Pimlico Academy, Westminster.

The Squad of 12 singers gave pop-up performances across each school during breaks and lunchtimes, exposing pupils and staff to a range of repertoire from ENO’s 2017/18 season. Director Martin Constantine and Composer Jessie Maryon Davies worked creatively with groups studying GCSE Music and Drama and led interactive assemblies for whole year groups, engaging pupils in participatory singing alongside our professional singers. They also worked with school choirs and music ensembles to rehearse and perform extracts from Aida and A Midsummer Night’s Dream which were shared with other pupils, parents and staff at the end of each day.

Over the coming months our ENO Baylis team will be developing bespoke follow-up programmes with each school. This will include in-school activity to support the curriculum and develop creative skills, visits to the London Coliseum for dress rehearsals and backstage tours, and priority access for students to take part in the ENO Baylis youth programme.