“Victorian iron and glass makes a glorious blank canvas”

Streetwise Opera puts the homeless alongside professionals to perform music, and heritage venues add to the impact

Manchester’s Streetwise Opera came together with world-renowned choir and period instrument ensemble The Sixteen to produce St Matthew’s Passion for Easter weekend 2016. Featuring people with experience of homelessness, it took place in Manchester’s Campfield Market, a largely disused 1870s building, adjacent to the site of St Matthews Church which stood from 1825 to 1951.

“It’s a long-held company ambition to do an adaptation of Bach’s St Matthew Passion. We are bringing it to life with Manchester’s HOME, who commissioned it as part of a series of site-specific events when they were between permanent venues. Campfield Market is a beautiful Victorian iron and glass space and makes a glorious blank canvas. Pre-Wagner, opera was a really social experience. Our production is a promenade performance and we wholly engage the audience in the production and the space as we move around. Wellbeing is a huge part of what we do, but we do not compromise on artistic quality. I always think of a quote from John Bird of The Big Issue who said “homeless people deserve a Rolls-Royce experience”. We’ve been lucky enough to get that in working with world-renowned director Penny Woolcock, and in commissioning a new finale for the piece from James Macmillan. New commissions mean our company and performers can take creative ownership and put their own stamp on performances. When I was a homeless support worker, I was told to tread carefully with, and where possible avoid, the subjects of religion and politics, but for me the St Matthew’s Passion is all about hope and redemption; it’s about creating a new finale.”

Matt Peacock, Streetwise Opera