Community collaboration takes flight in bird opera workshop
University of Newcastle researchers have hosted an inaugural Bird Opera Workshop with more than 120 school students from across the region. Together they explored creativity, storytelling and cultural expression through music, movement and language.
Held at the Conservatorium of Music, the workshop aimed to empower young people through co-creation in the creative arts.
It involved students from Hunter School of Performing Arts; Heaton; Jesmond, Hamilton South and Rutherford public schools; Cooks Hill Campus, Newcastle High School; and other performing arts institutions.
Professor Kate Senior, Acting Director of the Institute for Regional Futures guided the collaborative effort, which involved First Nations staff and students, researchers and artists.
“The workshop has been a true community-led experience. The children exceeded all our expectations. It’s been wonderful to witness their engagement and creativity and see the impact of our First Nations collaboration,” Professor Senior said.
Associate Professor Helen English said the initiative was inspired by an idea from the Wollotuka Institute's Dr Ray Kelly Snr and Christ Church Cathedral's Director of Music Dr David Banney.
“We're investigating how creativity in music and language can support the health and wellbeing of primary school–aged children, including First Nations students,” she said.
“It’s all about hearing the children’s stories and giving them ownership of the creative process.”
Aiden Powell was one of the University's staff and PhD candidates involved in the collaboration. The experience supported his research around Aboriginal music and coordination with the Truth Telling Project for Purai: Global Indigenous History Research Centre.
“The bird symbolises uplift—rising from something small to something powerful. That’s what this experience offers our youth” he explained.
Teachers praised the workshop’s impact, noting how students found their voices and confidence through imaginative, hands-on activities.
“Our students loved attending and would love to continue the Bird Opera journey,” said one teacher from Heaton Public School.
Work on the Bird Opera will continue into next year, culminating in a public performance at the Conservatorium Concert Hall in October 2026.
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