2026 Funding has been approved for my new opera Ra-Horakhty.
Thank you: Projektfonds Kulturförderung, Bezirksamt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg!

Description of the opera:  Ra-Horakhty is a production of universal and intercultural relevance. The story is conveyed through the universal language of music and is performed bilingually in English and German, fostering accessibility across cultures. By addressing the globally urgent theme of climate justice, it connects audiences from diverse backgrounds around a shared concern for the future.

This cultural education performance focuses on exploring ecology, ecological sustainability, and climate justice and uses only upcycled and recycled materials for its props, costumes and sets. Our goal is to deliver in an ecologically sustainable manner, artistic and educational tools to raise children's awareness of climate change and empower them to take action against global warming. These tools include music, singing, stories, and enchanting settings. This approach draws on a specific artistic practice to awaken an understanding of the significant reality of climate change and foster compassion and enthusiasm for working toward a solution. 

Ra-Horakhty offers children the opportunity to participate interactively by following rhythms and creating sounds. It features fun, sound-oriented activities such as finger-popping, dancing, stomping, and body percussion. These activities are not only fun but also promote the development of motor skills and coordination. The production also includes interactive storytelling through a combination of music and movement. With the help of body percussion, the children bring the stories to life, thus improving their listening and comprehension skills.

Written and composed by Rose Nolan, Ra-Horakhty is a newly composed musical performance full of compassion, kindness, and adventure. This opera is tailored for children ages 6 to 12 and is set in Berlin. This opera invites young audiences on a journey of discovery—into the climate, the city, and the human soul. At its heart lies the idea that true change for our planet is not only about practical choices, like riding bicycles instead of cars or planting native flowers for bees. At it’s core, this opera is about seeking peace: peace within ourselves, peace among people, and peace with the living world—animals, plants, and the Earth itself.

The story begins with the mysterious disappearance of the school’s falcon, Ra-Horakhty. This mystical bird, named after the ancient Egyptian god of rebirth, has been placed in danger by human actions—echoing the real history of peregrine falcons, once driven to the brink of extinction by pesticides like DDT. His absence becomes a warning: that the very cycle of life is endangered when greed and short-term gain outweigh the needs of ecosystems. 

The children’s search takes them across landmarks in Berlin, guided by a magical map that reveals hidden meanings and forgotten truths. Along the way, they meet the spirit of Hildegard Knef, one of Berlin’s iconic artists. Through her presence, the children learn that peace with oneself is not about perfection, but about embracing contradictions and transforming them into strength. Knef’s courage in exposing her vulnerabilities—no matter how impractical or bold—becomes a lesson in self-acceptance. And through self-acceptance, we are reminded that happiness does not come from chasing every glittering desire, but from cherishing and upcycling what we already have, and from this we can reduce our environmental footprint and consume less.

Their journey continues to the oldest horticultural association in Germany, the Deutsche Gartenbau-Gesellschaft e.V., where a gardener offers practical gardening tips that include upcycling objects we might normally consider rubbish and insights into why Ra-Horakhty may have vanished, warning of the dangers when human ambition overshadows care for the natural world. 

Finally, in the Tiergarten, they encounter Der Rufer—the great bronze figure calling out for peace between all creatures and the Earth itself.  Through the children’s quest to find Ra-Horakhty, the opera weaves together themes of climate action, cultural memory, and inner harmony. It invites its audience not only to care for the environment, but also to listen inwardly, to honor voices of resilience, and to live in balance with all beings who share the Earth. 

KinderOpera aims to bring together talents from diverse backgrounds to create a collaborative opera that brings diverse individual energies, perspectives, and ideas to bear on the project.