An opera about a medieval saint, a donkey and a lion, formulated in partnership with the Donkey Sanctuary and two wildlife charities. Far from the box-ticking exercise that it might seem to be on the surface, this is a bold entrepreneurial project from composer James Olsen, who, through his social enterprise company Olsen Verlag, is looking to reinvent the way music is commissioned for youth choirs and schools, and provide as many groups as possible with the resources to stage their own productions this summer, free of charge.
One of Our Lions is Missing! is Olsen's new opera, and is his second work based on the medieval legend of Saint Jerome – and the whole donkey/lion thing is right there in the original texts. Following the success of a previous opera, The Golden Touch – which was written for the Beckenham Junior Choir and Youth Voices – Olsen decided that he wanted to write another work for the group. This is to be a trilogy based on the St Jerome legend: the first, One of Our Brothers is a Lion!, was performed last summer; the second part, One of Our Lions is Missing!, will be performed this summer; and planning for the third is underway (more on this later).
The source material is from The Golden Legend, a 13th-century compilation of traditional lore surrounding the lives of the saints. Famously, the chapter on Jerome tells the story of a lion wandering into the saint's monastery. Although his brethren flee, St Jerome notices that the lion is injured. Jerome ‘puts thereto diligent cure’ and heals it; the lion then comes to live in the monastery as a ‘tame beast’. This is all covered in his first opera for the Beckenham choirs.
Animals under threat
‘The actual story in the original medieval source goes on,’ Olsen says. ‘What happens is that the lion is given a job in the monastery – it's his role to look after the monastery donkey. One day the donkey gets stolen, and the monks assume the lion did it. The lion is kicked out of the monastery and has a hard time of it, but it all ends well.
‘It's a great story,’ continues Olsen. ‘It's something mysterious, and kids love working with animal themes.’ Beyond this, Olsen realised that there was a huge potential to tie the project in with some animal charities and to take the project to other schools. ‘I thought that it would be really nice if an opera about donkeys and lions could actually benefit real donkeys and lions. The kids are familiar with the animals through films like The Lion King and Shrek, but obviously in the real world these animals are under threat.’
Each participating group is challenged to raise money for charity (© Kicki Frisch)
Olsen approached The Donkey Sanctuary, lion conservation and education charity LionAid, and wildlife charity Born Free. ‘These charities have a wide reach. It's a way of publicising the work, and there's an element of conservation and of collaboration, which I love,’ he says. All three organisations are now part of the project, and will receive 10% each of all money raised.
One of Our Lions is Missing! has been written for the Beckenham Junior Choir and Youth Voices once again, but Olsen is hoping that as many schools as possible will perform it: there are currently 12 choirs in the UK and one in Australia taking part. It is free for schools or choirs to get involved, but Olsen is challenging each group to raise money for the project and to become ‘co-commissioners’ in the process. If a school raises £500, it becomes a partner school, which means that the charities will engage with the school.
If a school raises more money, Olsen Verlag will come and do a professional recording of a performance. Of the income, 30% is allocated to the three charities, and the remaining 70% goes towards funding the commission. Olsen Verlag is a social enterprise, which means that it's a trading company, but one that reinvests its profits – probably in a third opera, says Olsen. And this is the model behind the composer's mission to reinvent the way music is brought to schools: the charities benefit, schools are incentivised to raise money, and Olsen Verlag is able to fund future projects. No begging bowls, no funding forms, no waiting in line for a composer residency – just a well-thought-through business model.
Tie-in resources
As well as the three major charities, Olsen pursued a collaboration with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre (Birmingham Rep). ‘This came out of trying to find a way to expand the project,’ he says. ‘I've seen a lot of school music projects, and they are often costly and you aren't able to reproduce them on a large scale. So I decided to use digital means, and the collaboration with Birmingham Rep is to make a series of videos for pupils and teachers to give them some ideas about acting, directing and making music.’
As well as the video resources from Birmingham Rep, the resources that participating choirs will receive will include tie-in resources for Key Stage 2 science as well as the means to fulfil national curriculum requirements in English, music and religious education. Choirs will receive a script of the text, sheet music and a backing CD. It isn't necessary to be a music specialist to get involved, says Olsen, who adds that he expects that many of these projects will be run by a drama teacher.
Carl Wholey, national schools education manager at the Donkey Sanctuary, says of the project: ‘To be involved in #lionopera gives us a chance to create awareness and empathy for animals in a fun and engaging way. The importance of young people understanding the ongoing needs of animals cannot be overstated – these are the policy makers and animal carers of the future. With the donkey in the opera being the “clever one”, this is another step to breaking down stereotypes and helping elevate the perceived status of donkeys. The education pack will not only cover sections of the science national curriculum, but also provide an opportunity for children to explore their views on animals and the global issues that threaten them.’
Olsen is keen to make the series into a trilogy, and the more schools that become involved, the more likely that is going to be. If you are interested in taking part, remember that it is free, and the fundraising element is optional.
‘People respond really well to being presented with a proposal, and they want to get involved. The children in the Beckenham choirs were really keen to do a sequel. They had lots of ideas, including a storyline with a monastery filled with robot monks. We might not go that far, but I'm really keen for it to grow.’
