Yorkshire flood opera wins Royal Philharmonic Society Award

Calderland, which was billed as a folk opera to “celebrate the Calder Valley’s tempestuous relationship with water”, was staged in Halifax last year.

The cast included a community choir of more than 150 local people including children from four schools.

It won the learning and participation prize at Wednesday’s Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards in London.

The judges said they were “particularly struck by the inclusive nature of the workshop and rehearsal process” and by the “clear evidence that the project has created an energetic musical legacy”.

The judges added: “With a compelling narrative and sophisticated musical language, this is the kind of artistic experience that changes lives.”

The opera, staged by 509 Arts, traced the area’s relationship with water from the Industrial Revolution to the 2015 floods.

Around 4,000 homes and 2,000 businesses were affected when the River Calder burst its banks and rampaged through West Yorkshire towns including Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge.

After the award ceremony, 509 Arts artistic director Alan Dix wrote on Twitter: “This is a fantastic result and brilliant news for @509Arts and everyone involved in Calderland. Very proud.”