Leeds Youth Opera are delighted to announce a new one-act opera commission to celebrate their 50th anniversary – postponed by Covid-19 to July 2022!

The celebrated creative team of Lewis Murphy (composer) and Laura Attridge (librettist) – working under the partnership Murphy & Attridge – have now completed work on ‘ARC23’ – a pertinent and gripping tale for our time, exploring our changing climate, the nature of isolation, and the intractable nature of human behaviour:

“An expeditionary space force sets forth to establish a new colony for humanity, who are escaping a dying home planet. When communications with Earth fail, however, and all hope seems lost, how will the crew navigate their way out of the unknown …”

Laura Attridge (librettist) – “I am honoured to be a part of the celebration of Leeds Youth Opera’s 50th anniversary, particularly as a Yorkshire lass, myself! This commission for the performers of LYO offers a fantastic opportunity to write a piece which not only showcases their talents but also speaks to their concerns as young people in the world today”

Lewis Murphy (composer) – “I am thrilled to be writing a new opera for the 50th anniversary of Leeds Youth Opera, a company whose ambition and commitment to youth music making are simply inspirational.”

There will be three performances across three consecutive nights:

Thu 14 Jul 2022, 7.30 pm

Fri 15 Jul 2022, 7.30 pm

Sun 16 Jul 2022, 7.30 pm

Running time: approximately 1 hour.

For more information and to book tickets, click here.