London’s St Pancras Station to Become an Opera Hall on International Women’s Day 2022

To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day on March 8, 2022, London’s Royal Opera House (ROH) will launch a free public event, titled “Lost and Found” — a series of brand-new and train-themed micro-operas created by women composers and librettists. 

The composer and librettist partnerships were selected following an open call from the ROH’s Jette Parker Young Artists Program (JPYA). The program provides a bridge for up to 12 salaried artists to a career with the world’s leading opera companies.

Between 11 AM and 4 PM on March 8, St. Pancras International station will host seven newly commissioned short opera scenes — built on anecdotes submitted to ROH by the public which explore themes of time, motion, meetings, and farewells. 

The commissions will be sung by opera’s rising stars including JPYA singers April Koyejo-Audiger, Thando Mjandana, Chuma Sijeqa, Blaise Malaba, and Egor Zhuravskii. They will be accompanied by musicians from Belgium’s Casco Phil chamber orchestra. 

The micro-operas include Victoria Bernath and Teresa Howard’s Mini Break, a comic opera about the panic of lost passports and bickering that follows; Anna Braithwaite and Kerry Priests’ The Hardest Journey, about hidden disabilities; Laura Reid and Oge Nwosu’s Detritus, which is written from the perspective of a cleaner who unites people with their lost items; among others.

Four of the works centered around time and travel will be performed with St. Pancras International’s iconic statue “The Meeting Place” in the background. Designed by British artist Paul Day, the nine-meter-high, 20-tonne bronze sculpture was exhibited in 2007.

(Image courtesy: Insider London)

The event is also part of the Europalia Arts Festival, which involves European railway stations including Antwerp, Brussels, and Rotterdam central stations, according to the Guardian.

“It has been a privilege to read the personal stories that were shared with us for this project, and watch them inspire seven new works in different styles and approaches,” said JPYA producer Angelique MacDonald. “Opera is an innately human art form and it’s hugely exciting to be able to perform such relatable work with Caso Phil at St Pancras International.”

“We are so excited for St Pancras International to be the backdrop for the latest Lost and Found performances, straight off the Eurostar,” said Wendy Spinks, industrial director at HS1 — a high-speed railway linking London with the Channel Tunnel. “There will no doubt be many interesting and entertaining stories from travelers who pass through train stations, and we can’t wait to see them brought to life through the magic and beauty of opera.”

For more information and the full-day program, click here.