Tomorrow the Booth Centre's Streetwise Opera singing group will be travelling to London to perform at the British Film Institute on the South Bank in the premiere of The Answer to Everything.  This is the culmination  of two years of devising, recording, filming and rehearsing.

To coincide with the premiere, celebrated soprano (and Patron of Streetwise Opera) Elizabeth Watts, Duncan Ward and The Sacconi Quartet have generously allowed Streetwise Opera to release their recording of 'Lascia Ch'io Pianga' from Handel's Rinaldo as a single to raise funds. The track appears in a section of The Answer to Everything and also features Streetwise Opera singers from Manchester and Nottingham singing a chorus part devised by Duncan Ward. This is Streetwise Opera's first commercial release.

You can download the track for just £0.79 - all proceeds will go to help fund Streetwise's work at the Booth 
Centre and around the country.

If you can't get to London to see the performance then we hope you'll download the single and listen to this unique track, which will give  you just a flavour of the unique opportunity the Booth Centre gives homeless people to take part in professional opera singing with all the benefits of increased confidence, and self esteem that it brings.
 

In April and May 2010, Ciara Leeming, a freelance photographer, completed a residency at the Booth Centre and compiled this audio slide show in which four people that use the Centre talk frankly about the struggles they have in their lives and what the Centre means to them.

You can view the original video and Ciara's other work at Vimeo.com