PUSH
An opera by Howard Moody
Saturday 25 August 2018, 5pm and 8pm
St Thomas’s Church, Salisbury
A La Folia production in association with Wiltshire Creative
Originally commissioned by Battle Festival (2016) and produced in partnership with Glyndebourne and the De La Warr Pavilion
Directed by Simon Iorio
Musical direction by Howard Moody
Performed by Salisbury Festival Chorus, PUSH Children’s Chorus and La Folia Orchestra (details below)
Soloists: James Newby, Matthew Stiff, Tereza Gevorgyan
‘My life is only miracles’
PUSH is a community opera written by Howard Moody. Through music, we discover the extraordinary story of Simon Gronowski, who was pushed by his mother from a train bound for Auschwitz in 1943 and survived.
Featuring internationally-renowned soloists, a community chorus of over 100 adults and children and a professional orchestra, PUSH is packed with memorable scenes and tunes, and carries a strong message of hope and belief in the ‘power of human goodness’.
Since being commissioned by Battle Festival in 2016, PUSH has been performed at Battle Festival in Sussex and in Chichester Cathedral for Holocaust Memorial Day 2018. The performances in Salisbury’s St Thomas’s Church were part of the Wiltshire Creative Lift Off! weekend.
Media coverage of the Salisbury performances and talk, August 2018
The Guardian
Salisbury Journal
The Fine Times Recorder
The Orchestra
Click here to read more about the musicians
Violins: Daphne Moody and Rosie Tompsett | Viola: George White | Cello: Joe Giddey | Double bass: Sandy Burnett | Guitar: Andy Williams | Flute: Chloë Vincent | Clarinet: Andrew Sparling | Horn: Chris Beagles | Trumpets: Sam Kinrade and Stephen Peneycad | Trombones: Dominic Hales and Jim Alexander | Percussion: Jez Wiles and Peter Beament
Simon Gronowski was in Salisbury for the performances and there was an opportunity to hear his story first-hand.