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Building on a decade of Snappy Operas activity, the 2026 programme engaged over 1,000 children and young people, expanded partnerships across three key regions (Humber & Lincolnshire, Cumbria, and the North East), premiered two new Snappy Operas, and advanced the development of Mahogany Opera’s first DIY Snappy Opera, The Midnight Sun.

The festival combined mainstream delivery in primary schools with intensive SEND residencies, ensuring shared learning across both strands. The programme aimed to bring together our continued learning of our mainstream Snappy Operas programme with our new SEND focused work to create our most accessible and inclusive Snappy Operas Festival to date.

Programme Highlights

Two new commissions premiered:

• The Neverbeast (co‑commission with Dunedin Consort), exploring honesty, fairness and community repair.

• Ice Cream Opera (co‑commission with Nida Culture & Tourism Centre “Agila”), celebrating creativity, cooperation and embracing change.

• The Midnight Sun progressed significantly through teacher‑led R&D, establishing a flexible, adaptable model to empower schools to deliver Snappy Operas independently.

Regional Delivery

Humber & Lincolnshire: The largest single‑region delivery to date engaged 430 children across 12 groups, supported by a multi‑academy trust partnership. Nine groups performed at Grimsby Auditorium, with additional opportunities in lighting and stage management for participating pupils.

Cumbria: A mixed model of school groups and Rosehill’s intergenerational arts club (TENT) engaged 117 children and 18 adults, with new artists recruited through open call. The region also continued development of The Midnight Sun and delivered SEND activity at Sandside Lodge School.

North East: Reignited partnerships with Durham Music Service and North Tyneside Music Education Hub enabled mainstream delivery across five schools, alongside SEND residencies at Hope Wood Academy. The region also hosted the premiere of Ice Cream Opera.

SEND Strand Development

SEND activity expanded significantly across all three regions, building on the Roll Up! model and earlier SEND-focused R&D. The festival sought to combine the structures of the piece and learning profiles of the young people involved, creating a truly collaborative and meaningful experience. SEND residencies in specialist schools (Eresby, Sandside Lodge, Hope Wood Academy) demonstrated strong engagement, bespoke creative adaptation, and growing confidence among pupils and staff.

A Thousand Journeys was created at Hope Wood Academy and this film was specially commissioned to document the impact of our SEND work:

Partnerships & Collaboration

The festival deepened long-standing relationships (Rosehill, NTMEH, DMS, Hull Music Service) and established new strategic partnerships with Humber Music Hub, North East Lincolnshire Music Hub, North Lincolnshire Music, and Enquire Learning Trust. International collaboration with Lithuanian partners continued to flourish through Ice Cream Opera.

Impact & Emerging Themes

Across regions, teachers, artists and pupils reported high enjoyment, increased confidence, improved teamwork, and strong engagement from children less likely to participate in music. SEND partners highlighted the value of flexible structures, sensory approaches and co‑creation. The Festival also presented a range of opportunities for our future work - opportunities to engage more MAT partnerships, develop our DIY delivery models, and strengthen long‑term regional embedding.