Turtle Key Arts Brings Opera Workshops To Birmingham For Teenagers On The Autism Spectrum

Aimed at 10-14 year olds with an autism spectrum diagnosis, music and drama creative project Turtle Opera comes to Birmingham in 2022. Free for all the participants, this series of ten half-day Saturday workshops will culminate in a performance attended by the participants' family and friends. The workshop leaders offer expertise in drama, music, movement, and visual art.

During the workshops the group will explore a variety of creative disciplines. The young people on the autism spectrum will work with a professional composer and director to create their own group performance of music and story, building their team working skills. The team will be supported by a project co-ordinator from Turtle Key Arts. For the Birmingham incarnation of Turtle Opera, the first session will be held online via zoom and then at a live venue in Birmingham.

The mother of one participant comments, I don't mean to be dramatic about it but Turtle Opera has completely changed our lives. Pascal walked out of the first session, and it was as if "Oh my god, it's ok to be autistic. For the first time in his life he picked up the phone and he now talks regularly to his grandparents in Australia. He is a changed child.

Turtle Opera is a Turtle Key Arts partnership with English Touring Opera and Royal College of Music in collaboration with Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. It is funded by Children in Need. This is just one of the incredible initiatives run by Turtle Key Arts, the amazing organisation who seek to use arts to improve quality of life. In 2020 Turtle Key Arts reached an audience of 47,390 collaborating with 329 artists and involved over 1,350 participants.