Creation: Art and Music in Durham Primary Schools

Haydn’s music paints wonderful pictures, and so we invited several primary schools to bring those musical pictures to life through art. Children from Howletch Lane Primary School, Polam Hall School, Hamsterley Primary School, Butterknowle Primary School, Cotsford Primary School (pictured) and Murton Primary School began their exploration of Haydn’s music with a visit from our Gabriel, soprano Clare Tunney, who sang two of her arias to the children and answered their questions about her musical training (“how do you sing so loudly?”) and her life studying at music college.

The children then worked with mosaic artists Amanda and Angela Cuskin on mosaics to be displayed in the cathedral during our concert, and on their own art projects: you can see a gallery of the artwork from Polam Hall below. They’ve also been learning the soprano line to the most famous chorus in The Creation, “The Heavens are Telling”, which they will perform with us and our orchestra during our afternoon rehearsal in the cathedral – come along on the afternoon of 21st November to see the mosaic art, and hear a free performance of Part 1, from 3pm.