Children from all eight schools on Fair Isle, Fetlar, Yell, Skerries and Unst will participate in workshops with musicians from CHROMA chamber ensemble 23-31 March 2006. The workshops take themes from Homer’s Odyssey and the Betty Mouat story, and involve creative writing, music, singing, movement, plus the “giant knitting” of bits of scenery and props!

CHROMA start their visit in Fair Isle, with Stuart King (clarinet), Marcus Barcham-Stevens (violin) and Evgeny Chebykin (horn). Helen Cole (harp) joins the group for the workshops with Unst, Yell and Fetlar schools.

This will be Stuart King and Evgeny Chebykin’s second visit to Fair Isle, as they were part of Classic Fair Isle in 2002.

While on Shetland, CHROMA will perform two concerts – on Fair Isle Saturday 25 March and in Lerwick, at the Garrison Theatre, on Tuesday 28 March. (Programme details to follow.)

These schools workshops are part of the programme for Tête à Tête opera company's latest production - a version of Homer's Odyssey, with singers, instrumentalists, knitters and spinners. The opera had workshops on Fair Isle in October 2005, and is scheduled to première in October 2006, then tour to Shetland, Norway, Ireland and around the UK. CHROMA provide the instrumentalists for the opera.

CHROMA is working with the teachers to provide each school group with specially tailored sessions. For Unst, Fetlar and Yell these are based on themes around the ideas of voyage, storms, travelling home, dreams and dangers from the Odyssey. The Fair Isle schoolchildren, (who were involved with the Odyssey workshops in October) will create a new telling of the story of Betty Mouat.

Support
The Shetland Odyssey Education Programme is supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Ernest Cook Trust, and the Kenneth Leighton Trust.

Sponsorship in kind comes from the hosts on Fair Isle (accommodation) and Chansonnette (the project website).

Further information: Claire Shovelton, Manager 07969 135794 chroma.admin@mac.com http://www.chromaensemble.co.uk