BambinO at Home
An operatic adventure for 6 to 18 month olds.
BambinO at Home is produced by Improbable. Originally co-produced with Scottish Opera and Manchester International Festival. Made possible with support from Arts Council England and the Garfield Weston Foundation’s Culture Fund.
This unique and colourful work for infants aged 6 to 18 months is a twin celebration of the possibilities of music and the power of the infant imagination. BambinO reinvents operatic language and traditions for children at an age when their minds are wide open to new sounds, images and experiences.
Following sell out runs in Paris (Théâtre du Châtelet), New York (Metropolitan Opera), Manchester International Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Improbable bring you a made-for-screen adaptation so you can access the magic of BambinO wherever you are!
BambinO at Home combines live performance with live illustration from children’s illustrator Viviane Schwarz.
To accompany the show, we created the BambinO at Home colour-in libretto (.pdf) for parents and their bambini’s to colour as they watched. This document has embedded alt-text which can be used as audio description for the show if you are using a screen-reader. enjoy watching you!
Synopsis:
BambinO follows a bird, called Uccellina, who discovers an egg. It hatches, revealing a baby bird called Pulcino. He explores the world. Uccellina is initially overjoyed, though passingly annoyed at his hyperactive behaviour! The pair reconcile quickly, elated to have found each other.
Uccellina tells Pulcino of the sky and its wonders, and that it is his destiny to fly the nest. Although saddened at the thought of being separated, they are soon caught up in the excitement of his imminent flight. Ready to take to the skies, the birds sing a final duet of farewell. Pulcino takes flight and soars among the clouds, and Uccellina ponders his journey.
Creative Team:
Composer: Lliam Paterson
Director: Phelim McDermott
Designers: Giuseppe Belli & Emma Belli
Illustrator: Viviane Schwarz
Filming: Chocolate Films
Company Manager: Di Holt
Audio Describer: Ess Grange
Photography (featured below): James Glossop
Performers:
Soprano: Charlotte Hoather
Baritone: Kieran Rayner
Cello: Semay Wu
Percussion: Michael D Clark
Available to present
Contact Kathryn Bilyard on kathryn@improbable.co.uk for more information.
Previous performances:
BambinO was first performed in 2017 at Manchester International Festival, Edinburgh Fringe and Scottish Opera, Glasgow. After runs in Paris and New York, BambinO returned to Edinburgh Fringe, followed by a tour of Scotland.
Previous streams:
Press:
“Full marks to BambinO, opera can work for babies and maybe one day they'll come to enjoy it as adults too.”
★★★★★ The Arts Desk
“A complete delight on every level.”
★★★★★ The Herald
“The pay-off for an initiative like this is incalculable... rarely has innocent pleasure felt more vital.”
★★★★ The Observer
“The joy of something like this is watching the joy in your little one's face.”
★★★★ Manchester Evening News