B'Opera create high-quality, interactive, musical experiences for babies, toddlers and their grown-ups from all backgrounds.
B'Opera sit on the Birmingham Early Years Music Consortium ‘Sounds of Play’, and from libraries to hospitals to community gardens and theatres, partner with many organisations across the West Midlands.
Through a blend of weekly workshops, relaxed concerts, and musical shows, B'Opera specialise in enabling babies and toddlers to access the arts in an immersive, child-centred, relaxed environment.
Professional musicians and experienced teachers, the team have performed and toured extensively in the UK and abroad and parent five children between them.
"I left the concert feeling that this was an organisation that really understood how to put on a concert for small children and babies."
- Get Kids Into Music
Zoë Challenor
Founder & Director
Zoë combines a career in singing with a passion for education and a deeply held belief that everyone has a voice, including the youngest of children. A prize-winning graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, she spent eight years as Choral Director and Singing Teacher at Trinity Laban Conservatoire Junior Department in London. Zoë’s work with WNO ranged from opera workshops with children, to co-creative songwriting with refugee families, to mentoring emerging workshop leaders. She writes, performs, delivers CPD and workshops, and speaks regularly at home and abroad about B'Opera, its mission and its impact, and teaches singing & ITM Alexander Technique. She is also mother to 2 young girls.
Jacqueline White
Founder & Producer
Jac graduated with a Masters in Performance from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and a PGCE with QTS from Birmingham City University. She combines an active performing career with teaching students at BOA and privately. With over 17 years teaching experience, working with Services for Education and CBSO Young Voices amongst others, she has shared her love of music with hundreds of students, supporting and enabling pupils to perform in venues such as The Genting Arena, Symphony Hall, the Adrian Boult Hall and abroad.
Jac has performed with companies including the New English Orchestra, Birmingham Opera and Opera UK, touring across the UK and in Europe. She qualified with a CME:EC (Certificate for Music Educators: Early Childhood) through CREC (Centre for Research in Early Childhood)
She is a mother to 3 young boys and is passionate about helping mothers to support their health and wellbeing.
Phil Ypres-Smith
Founder & Music Director
Phil studied at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and has enjoyed an extensive career composing, arranging, teaching, singing, and performing on organ and piano. Recordings include a CD of original compositions called Love and Joy. Phil regularly composes new music for B'Opera, and alongside Zoë, has featured on BBC Radio 4's Soul Music.
An award-winning music director with St Alphage Musical Production Society and the founder and director of Obsidian Theatre Productions Ltd, Phil has over 30 years teaching experience and has been the organist and Director of Music at St George's Church in Edgbaston since 2005.
Phil is a senior paediatric audiologist for the NHS, working with the newborn hearing screening programme since its inception.
Aliyah Wiggins
Team Member
Aliyah is a singer songwriter from Birmingham who began her music leader journey with B’Opera in 2020. In 2022 she took up an 18-month Vocal Leader Internship for Welsh National Opera, delivering workshops across the West Midlands and Wales, sharing her passion and knowledge of singing Opera and Neo-Soul.
Aliyah is currently working with Quench Arts and studying for the CME and You Are Gold programmes to obtain her Level 4 Certificate for Music Educators accreditation from Trinity Guildhall and Gold Arts Award, as well as working as a freelance musician.
You can hear Aliyah's single Questions here.
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