Music Generation Wexford, in partnership with Wexford Festival Opera, presents Seedlings, a futuristic climate change Opera, written and directed by Elizabeth Drwal in collaboration with young people from Music Generation Wexford’s Opera Workshops and composed by Andrew Synnott.

In the not-too-distant future, a tribe of young people live underground. This world has no sunrise, no sunset, no stars, no trees, no mountains. Who are these people? How did they get here?

The year is 2078. Climate choices made in previous generations have destined a group of young people to live in and maintain an underground seed vault. They are kept safe within the walls of the tunnels. It is the only life they know. They have food, heat and are cared for by Nonnetta, an Artificial Intelligence that monitors the systems keeping them alive as well as nurturing the young people. They live their lives occupied with growing the food that sustains them, waiting.

Since July 2022, young people have been meeting through Music Generation Wexford’s Youth Opera Workshops with the aim of creating a Youth Opera based on environmental themes. These monthly workshops explored their creativity and performance skills through circus skills, acting, singing and song writing as well as their creativity and critical thinking through workshops with Climate Ambassador Adam Stapleton and poet, Sasha Terfous. Over the course of this research period new ideas and possible climate futures were explored from colonies on Mars, to new communal living models. From this research “Seedlings” has developed into an Opera that is a call for action, as well as a reminder that we all have the power ask questions and make changes. This very ambitious, inventive new work is centred around a possible climate future and is told through a fantastical story of an underground community and their AI Nonnetta.

This new Youth Opera has been devised through workshops and conversations with the young people attending Music Generation Wexford’s Opera workshops, written and directed by Elizabeth Drwal and composed by Andrew Synnott. This project would not be possible without the support of Wexford Festival Opera, Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board, The National Opera House and Wexford County Council.