Pupils at St Peter's Primary School in Ardrossan to perform opera at Saltcoats Town Hall

A unique project has been taking place over the last few months between Ayrshire Opera Experience, storyteller Tony Bonning, North Ayrshire Council and and the pupils.

They have been working to create a new Celtic story based on the legend of Oisin and the fairy queen Niamh.

And locals have been invited to see the full production for free on Tuesday, March 28 in Saltcoats town Hall at 7pm.

The story is full of magic and wonder and is set in a mystical fairy land.

Musicians Esther Swift and David Douglas took the newly devised story and set it to music for voice and harp. The story will be presented by professional performers from Ayrshire Opera Experience and the pupils from St Peter's Primary.

The show features singing, acting and dancing which will all be accompanied by the beautiful sound of Esther Swift on harp. This is a unique opportunity for the pupils to hear their own words and imagination come to life, whilst working along side highly experienced performers.

Ayrshire Opera Experience was launched in 2014 by Tenor David Douglas and has been providing and creating opportunities for singers and musicians in Scotland. Performance highlights include: Ae Spark O’ Nature’s Fire, The Genius of Robert Burns, Alloway Session 2015, North Ayrshire’s Fusion Festival, The Two Brigs, Acteon tour, live performances on BBC Scotland's Classics Unwrapped and STV Glasgow's The Riverside Show, street theatre as part of TamFest, Burns Aflame, Burns Alicht, performances of a newly created North Ayrshire primary school opera at the Largs’ Viking festival and the premier of a new Scots language version of Charpentier’s The Descent of Orpheus to the Underworld, which was performed at last years Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Tony Bonning's repertoire includes traditional tales with an energetic spin, as well as original stories by himself and others. His work as a writer of children's books influences his choice of stories and he loves spontaneous language, sometimes incorporating puppets, rhymes and poetry into his sessions. He also has a deep interest in world myth, legend and folklore.

The pupils have been working with the team from Ayrshire Opera Experience on newly created songs and a Scottish dance.

The team include opera singer David Douglas, Musical Theatre performers Sophie Brown and Kieran Begay and Harpist Esther Swift. The cast will also be joined by Soprano Colleen Nicoll for the performance. The pupils have been learning how to sing, dance and also how the harp works.

"The pupils seem to love the sound of the harp, they are very focused when they hear Esther play. It has been wonderful working with the pupils and they have already achieved such a high standard with this project," said David Douglas.

The second half of the evening will also feature some Gaelic songs including a special performance from the Largs Gaelic choir, directed by Siobhan McAuley.

"The pupils have been learning little bits of Gaelic throughout the process of writing and performing the story. We are very lucky to have the Gaelic choir join us and for the pupils to hear more songs in the Gaelic language", said David Douglas.

Tickets are free for this performance and can be ordered from the Harbour Arts Centre or by calling 01294 274059.