‘Limehouse Blues’, a new operatic composition performed at the Tower Hamlets Chinese Association in Limehouse, London and at Chilli Chilli Chinese Restaurant in Liverpool, June 2014, was developed by Tommy during his year at Open School East. The piece, which draws upon the history of the Chinese diaspora in Britain, and in particular, the popular depictions of the Chinese in the early 20th century, explores the human voice as a political and personal tool of resilience.

The work was produced following a series of workshops led by a Cantonese opera singer and a community choir in collaboration with 6-8 untrained singers from Chinese and other backgrounds.

You can watch a film of the performance, here.