More than 2,000 children come together to stage Rotherham’s first ever opera

28 November 2025, 09:17 | Updated: 28 November 2025, 09:28

Rotherham comes together for opera

Local children from the northern English town were joined by professionals from the Royal Ballet & Opera.

More than 2,000 children from across Rotherham came together this week to create a new opera celebrating their town’s community spirit.

After a year of hard work, Tales Untapped: A Rotherham Opera received its world premiere this week at the Magna Science Adventure Centre as part of the Children’s Capital of Culture festival.

Drawing inspiration from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, the production centres on a local hero called Pidge discovers a magical story tap. The show features stories, songs and choreography devised by local children working alongside professionals from the Royal Ballet and Opera, Rotherham Music and local storytelling charity Grimm & Co.

The children have worked on the opera over the last year, through workshops in storytelling, composition and design as part of a four-year initiative led by the Royal Ballet and Opera to widen access to arts education in Rotherham and Bradford.

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“Tales Untapped was a truly life‑affirming project to be involved with,” John Lyon, Upper Strings Music Leader at Sheffield Music Hub, said.

“I can’t think of any other medium where so many people can be united in body and spirit.”

He added, “It was magical to hear hundreds of children sharing the same experience, especially since it was music with their fingerprints all over it. It’s living proof that the barriers we often talk about in reference to these artforms need to be dissolved, because we can all have a joyful time performing together and representing our community whether we’re seasoned professionals or it’s our first time performing.”