Snappy Operas is Mahogany Opera’s flagship opera programme for young people aged 7-11. A Snappy Opera is a ten-minute opera co-created and performed by children, which introduces all the essential elements of opera – singing, acting and making – in fun, colourful and bite-size chunks, showing children and teachers that opera is for everyone.
Since 2016, we've commissioned 14 Snappy Operas, created by leading composers and writers working with schoolchildren, which have gone on to be performed by over 5,000 young people in over 100 schools across the UK from Cornwall to Aberdeen and internationally in Germany and Lithuania.
Snappy Operas supports teaching for creativity in the classroom, improving the quality and sustainability of arts education in schools. In 2022-23 we developed our first Snappy Opera in partnership with a SEND school, co-creating a piece which responded to the needs and ideas of a range of disabled children.
Working with professionals is like a dream come true. You don’t know what will happen next but you can’t wait.
Year 5 Pupil, Tower Hamlets, on Snappy Operas
Our inclusive Snappy Operas Festival will bring together schools and communities across the UK and beyond to celebrate the joy of opera. Schools will have the chance to be part of a Gala Performance - joining other schools across their region for a special performance day in a professional venue - or have access to resources to help them prepare for their own in-school performance.
The Festival will work with around 24 schools, connecting schools, teachers and artists with a network of like-minded professionals with a shared passion and understanding of how the arts can enrich the lives of primary aged children.
Are you a school, venue, music service or festival interested in Snappy Operas? Get in touch.
Utterly inspiring and amazing. The most well-organised and professional rehearsal I have been involved in over 25 years! It was amazing to have four experts for each rehearsal.
Teacher, Snappy Operas
FINALIST - Amateur or Young Performers
British Composer Awards 2017
The Feast That Went Off With A Bang
by Ed Hughes & Peter Cant
FINALIST – Arts Council Award
The Journal Culture Awards 2018
Mahogany Opera partnership with North Tyneside Music Education Hub
WINNER – Primary School Achievement Award
The Creative Learning Guild National Awards 2018/19
Snappy Operas
FINALIST
- Outstanding Music Initiative
Music & Drama Education Awards 2020
Snappy Operas
The Snappy Operas Festival 2026 is generously supported by Arts Council England – National Lottery Project Grants, The Radcliffe Trust, The Thistle Trust, The Hadfield Trust, Cumbria Community Foundation, Ernst von
Siemens Foundation, Victoria Wood Foundation, BeauxArtz and the donors to our Big Give Christmas Challenge.
For more information about Mahogany Opera's supporters, please visit our Support Our Work page.
By supporting Mahogany Opera, you can play a vital role in commissioning talented artists, producing innovative new works, and delivering transformative learning and engagement projects. Your support also directly strengthens our resilience and enables us to respond creatively to an ever-changing world.
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