EDINBURGH 2023: Madame Chandelier Guest Blog

Why Opera Needs Madame Chandelier

By Delea Shand, aka Madame Chandelier

“Nobody likes me anymore,” laments Opera, personified as a petulant birthday boy, at Madame Chandelier’s Opera Party for Kids, “not even the arts council!” It’s Opera’s 423rd birthday, and the ridiculously joyful Madame Chandelier is throwing a party to cheer him up. Opera used to be really popular. But these days… not so much. “Don’t worry,” promises Madame Chandelier, “we’re going to get these kids so excited about opera they’ll be dancing to it by the end of the show!”

A small promise, but a big gesture, at a time when it seems like opera has fewer and fewer friends than ever. If you’re an enthusiast, you’ll have seen the news that opera and classical music funding was cut around the country, in the recent Arts Council budget.

People love to tell you that opera is elite, and yes, some people love to dress up and buy the expensive tickets, but the English National Opera, Scottish Opera, Welsh National Opera, Opera North, the Royal Opera – they all offer tickets for under £20. Kids go free at the ENO! You want to talk about elite? Try booking tickets to Beyonce. Or your local football match.

I work in education, as a peripatetic singing teacher for a music hub in London, and in the past six years I’ve seen all the specialist music teachers at my schools quit or retire, and most were never replaced. Children don’t have whole school or even whole class singing assemblies anymore, let alone learn about opera. No wonder people grow up thinking opera isn’t for them. No one ever told them it was!

But Madame Chandelier is here to change that! She’s on a mission to make opera accessible and fun, with this mega-interactive show. Kids will be up on stage, joining in and acting out the operas with her. It’s my hope that kids will go back out into the world believing that opera exists for them. And with any luck, they’ll even be inspired to start making it themselves.

It’s not just Madame Chandelier bringing opera to the masses this fringe. Check out the fringe guide for all the other opera shows, including: The Opera Diva’s Boudoir, on at theSpace, A Comedy of Operas, on at the Pleasance EICC, and Miss Havesham’s Wedding Night, on at Greenside.

Madame Chandelier’s Opera Party for Kids, is on at the Pleasance, Aug 2-15, 2:30.

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