RESEARCH by a University of Stirling academic has underpinned one of the first Royal Opera House live streams.

Dr Gemma Robinson, an expert in Caribbean writing, acted as academic consultant to The Knife of Dawn, a one-person chamber opera inspired by the life and works of Guyanese poet and political activist, Martin Carter.

Created by composer Hannah Kendall, the opera reimagines Carter’s imprisonment by the British government in 1953. The production will be staged tonight in a socially-distanced autumn programme and streamed online.

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Kendall said: “Dr Robinson’s scholarship and involvement in the project was intrinsic not only to the development of the project, but my own compositional practice. The Knife of Dawn being presented on the Royal Opera House stage demonstrates an important commitment to musical engagement through cultural discovery.”

Robinson added: “This is a really important piece of work for the Royal Opera House to stage.

“Not only does it remind us how Guyana’s anti-colonial history is part of Britain’s story, it examines what it means to live an imprisoned existence, and how to imagine a free and just new world.”