Winter returned yesterday. We didn't get the lethal blast that Scotland endured but brass monkeys in Kensington were complaining bitterly. A couple of engineers from the company who build our canopy were none too happy either as they dangled from ropes and clambered over the peaks of the roof. It had been noticed that the finely honed process of tensioning the fabric had gone awry ever so slightly. This meant a small section of the structure looked a bit wrinkly, water was running off it in unexpected ways and points that carry heavy loads of lighting truss were at odd angles. To the untrained eye nothing would seem amiss but it needed tweaking and so the riggers were swinging around in the icy winds fiddling with the giant cat's cradle of cables and turning spigots and bolts . I left them to it in order to get to Cadogan Hall for the Chelsea Academy showcase.

And what a showcase it was; the kids were fantastic in their performances of Carmen extracts and the beautiful entrance hall of the venue looked fabulous. Congratulations to all concerned and hopefully we will see projects like this flourish through next year and beyond. These were eleven and twelve year old kids and we should all continue to challenge them because they really can lift themselves to achieve when they are given the opportunity. There is no limit to what we can expect from them. I know this from personal experience in my own schooling and it is something James and I will continue to preach.

The Indy podcast is up on their website

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/opera-podcast-opera-holland-parks-new-season-1932232.html