The Water Diviner's Tale
More than 250 performers – the majority under the age of 18 – took to the stage in Worthing on Monday 23 March for a powerful and moving performance of The Water Diviner’s Tale, a rarely staged work by Academy Award-winning West Sussex composer Rachel Portman OBE.
The oratorio, which explores the urgent issue of climate change, was narrated by Elinor Moran and conducted by Adam Barker. It featured five young professional soloists – Lori Grainger, Eve Maxwell, Kristian Thorkildsen, Henry Godwin and Freddie Crowley – alongside West Sussex Youth Orchestra, West Sussex Youth Choirs, Chichester Festival Youth Theatre, and choirs from Felpham Community College, Handcross Primary School, Midhurst Rother College, Storrington Primary School, The Regis School and The Southwater Junior Academy.
Preparations for the concert began in January, with schools, youth choirs, and orchestra rehearsing independently before coming together for the first time on the day of the performance. The event marked the culmination of months of planning and collaboration between schools, arts organisations and music leaders across the county.
John Randall, Music Centres Manager, who led the event planning, said:
“Bringing together so many young people to perform a work of this scale has been an incredible achievement. From the very beginning, we wanted to create something ambitious and meaningful – both musically and thematically. The Water Diviner’s Tale offered the perfect opportunity, a powerful piece of music, a vital message about climate change, and the chance for our young musicians to work alongside emerging professional artists. The dedication and enthusiasm shown by everyone involved has been truly inspiring.”
The Water Diviner's Tale performance
The Water Diviner’s Tale is an oratorio that deals with the issue of climate change. Written in 2007 by composer Rachel Portman and poet/novelist Owen Sheers, the work tells the inspiring and moving story exploring what is happening to our world due to climate change.
The idea for the concert was first proposed nearly a year ago, with the aim of uniting West Sussex Music’s youth ensembles, school choirs and partner organisations in a large-scale creative performance. The Water Diviner’s Tale was chosen not only for its musical richness and relevance, but also for the opportunity it offered young performers to engage with the work of a living, locally connected composer.
In a special surprise for the performers, the piece’s composer Rachel Portman came to the concert and enjoyed the show, she said: “What an incredible inspiring musical event last night in Worthing. 250 young singers sang so brilliantly together with the fantastic West Sussex Youth Orchestra and Choir! So moving to see them all coming together singing their hearts out, making music for climate change.”
Born in West Sussex, Rachel began composing at the age of 14 and read music at the University of Oxford, where she became interested in writing music for student films and theatre productions.
Rachel became the first female composer to win an Academy Award, which she received for the score of Emma and the first female composer to win an Emmy Award, which she received for the film Bessie.
In 2023 she received her second Emmy for Julia. She has received two further Academy Nominations for The Cider House Rules and Chocolat, which also earned her a Golden Globe Nomination. She has scored over one hundred films!
Given an OBE in 2010, Rachel is an honorary fellow of Worcester College, Oxford, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Music.
Water Diviner's Tale rehearsals
