Alexander Winfield To Perform At Local Schools

As a result of a grant from the Arts Council and sponsorship from British Airways, Bermudian Alexander Winfield and his partner, Latana Phoung, have returned to Bermuda for two weeks to perform their children’s show, “The Other Side,” to school students. The show introduces opera and the classical arts to young people through the use of puppets, singing and acting.

“The Other Side” is about a young girl who wants nothing more than to be an opera singer. In following her journeys through a dream-like land called “The Other Side,” with characters portrayed through delightful puppetry, children learn about the importance of friendship, self-confidence, perseverance and will be introduced to some of the great arias of opera history in an entertaining and accessible format.

The one-hour programme will be performed to students at East End Primary, Gilbert Institute, Port Royal Primary, Somerset Primary, Victor Scott Primary and West End Primary.

Mr. Winfield and Ms. Phoung have a company in the UK called Musicanima, which they started two years ago to promote the love of culture, art and music to a young audience. Using ground breaking puppetry, classical opera and a highly trained ensemble, their theatrical shows and performances help audiences to find a new way of seeing the world around them.

They were a resident company at the Greenwich Theatre and performed at The Little Angel Theatre, England’s premier puppet theatre in London. They have also performed in Bermuda at Chewstick and Mr. Winfield has given workshops in puppet building at the Bermuda Society of Arts.

Alexander Winfield, who’s been working with puppets for 10 years, says: “I wanted to bring my work back home to Bermuda so that young Bermudians can be exposed to opera in a fun environment.

“The puppets are a great hit with the children and we’re looking forward to the performances here on the island. I would like to thank the Arts Council and British Airways for their support, which has made the performances in Bermuda possible.”

Mr. Winfield attended Saltus and then studied film and TV production at Ryerson in Toronto. While there he also worked in film and had the opportunity to train with The Puppet Mongers and Quebecois artist Mathieu René, although he is mainly self-taught in the use of puppetry.

Ms. Phoung began working for Maitrise de Radio France, a professional children’s choir, when she was eight years old. She is a trained mezzo soprano and studied at the Guildhall in London, England. Following her studies she worked at the National Opera Studio in the UK.

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