Jim Davis of BBC Radio London speaks to Streetwise Opera CEO Rachael Williams ahead of the company’s performances at Hackney Empire.

The interview explores how Streetwise Opera works with people who have experienced homelessness in London, Manchester and Nottingham, using singing and creative practice to reduce isolation, build confidence and support wellbeing. Rachael explains that alongside regular weekly sessions, the company also delivers projects in hostels, day centres and other frontline homelessness settings.

She reflects on the distinctive role Streetwise Opera plays, not by addressing housing directly but by creating a space in which people are not defined by homelessness and do not have to revisit traumatic experiences unless they choose to. Instead, she says, performers are supported to forge new identities as artists and creatives.

Rachael also describes the company’s reimagining of Pagliacci, created in collaboration with English Touring Opera. She explains that the new response piece draws on the themes, characters and music of the original while shifting the focus towards Nedda, exploring her feelings, choices and possibilities from a fresh perspective.

The interview highlights the power of opera as a space for reinvention, expression and dignity, while inviting audiences to experience Streetwise Opera’s work at Hackney Empire.