'It's access all arias for tots at the opera'

THERE was a time that being a baby was just a matter of gazing at mobiles and chewing rusks.

But now tots as young as six months old are to have a taste of culture with an invitation to a specially written opera.

Baby O, the latest initiative from Scottish Opera, is a performance specially devised for tiny audiences, with toys for props and a garden-like setting.

The audience of 12 babies and 12 parents will sit in a circle as the three singers introduce them to new sounds and sights during the 30-minute performance.

The singers recreate the buzzing of bees, splashing of wellies and the fluttering of feathers as the audience gets to grips with a furry grass stage area and hand puppets.

Scottish Opera's director of education, Jane Davidson, said the show, which is aimed at babies from six to 18 months, was made up entirely of vocal sounds rather than words or musical instruments: "There isn't really a story, it's not narrative, it's a sort of journey through a lovely park, so they meet a lot of things that they would see about, like fishes and bees, and little ducks – although they do tend to eat the ducks, so you have to sterilise everything between shows because there's a lot of dribble everywhere. I don't suppose you get that at normal opera performances."

The piece was devised by a group of artists working with composer Rachel Drury.

Ms Davidson said it was neither opera nor nursery rhymes.

"It's quite repetitive, but you do get these chord progressions in operatic music, and she was looking at the concept of developing a tune, and what happens when you're teaching somebody and want them to copy you. We want mums and dads to join in and use some of these tunes after they've gone away from us. One bit is quite Bach-like."

She said the project aimed to encourage a love of music in young children and their parents: "We've created a lot of work in the past for three to five-year-olds and a lot of that is to do with patterns and wanting children to join in and understand the basic concept about a story. This is as much as anything about bonding, and parent and child and doing something together."

The piece will be performed at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on 21 and 22 April, and will also be presented to groups at community centres in Stockbridge and Craigmillar.

City culture convener Councillor Dierdre Brock said: "We welcome interesting initiatives like this, which make a positive contribution to the council's stated aims of promoting arts and cultural opportunities for people of all ages across our communities."

Ms Davidson said she was keen for the project to reach people in areas whose residents would never normally think of visiting the opera themselves: "We've got to go to them, because I think there's a perception that they'll be less likely to say 'I'll take my baby to the opera'.

"I think it's important that we show that there are works no matter who you are, no matter what your background, whether you drive a Range Rover or go on the bus, your baby's your baby – and the responses across the board have been so positive."