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CARDIFF INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND THE WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE TAKE WAGNER TO THE VALLEYS

Cardiff International Airport is sponsoring an innovative education project being run in schools in under-privileged areas of Wales

The project takes as its inspiration the recent production of Wagner‘s Ring Cycle, held at the Wales Millennium Centre. Tickets for the landmark production, held to mark the venue‘s second birthday, sold out in just four hours.

The education project has just got underway with visual arts and poetry workshops, and will run until summer 2007, involving approximately 200 children aged between three and 18.

It is being run in four schools.  Children at Woodlands School in Ely, Cardiff are exploring poetry as a form of creative expression, while children at Ynysowen Primary School, St Mary‘s Primary School and Rhyd-y-Grug Primary School, all in Merthyr Tydfil, are using visual art to explore the subject.

The first stage of the project ‘Rhinegold‘ follows a water theme, examining the part of Wagner‘s opera depicting three Rhinemaidens swimming in the River Rhine protecting a hoard of gold. The children will create art and poetry centred around the importance of water in Wales‘ history, considering the regeneration of Cardiff Bay, and taking the river Taff and Ely as inspiration. 

The first stage will culminate with a performance at the Wales Millennium Centre in February, after which the second education project ‘Valkyrie‘ will begin.  This will involve artists and school children working together, using air as an inspiration to explore the Ring Cycle themes.

“The airport is sponsoring the education project to underline the importance of education in Wales, taking a world-class event to parts of the nation that might not otherwise have been touched by the production,” says Jon Horne, Managing Director, Cardiff International Airport.

“We feel that it is very important to add value to the region, not only as a business bringing tourists into Wales but also to help improve people‘s lives.

“By supporting this educational project we hope to raise the expectations and creative experiences of the children involved, and to give them an understanding of something they otherwise might not have encountered.”

ENDS        16th January 2007

For further information please contact Neil Fraser, Sturgess Van Damme, on 01275 349011 or email neil@sturgessvandamme.co.uk or Peter Phillips, Cardiff International Airport, on 07986 580999 or email  peter.phillips@cwl.aero

 

photo captions:

1– Paul Sullivan and Soloman Mehegan, from St Mary‘s Primary School in Merthyr Tydfil, with artist Megan Lloyd 

2– St. Mary‘s Primary School pupils with Megan Lloyd