Zatopek! (working title), a 12 minute chamber opera by Emily Howard and Second Movement for baritone, mezzo, adult and youth chorus and mixed ensemble, inspired by legendary Czech Olympian, long distance runner, statesman, communist and dissenter Emil Zatopek (1922-2000). In 1954 Zatopek set a new world record for the 5000m running the distance in 13:57 minutes. Emily Howard and Second Movement will have just a little less time to celebrate his life and times from the starting pistol of his international breakthrough at the London 1948 Olympics to the final finish line.

Emily Howard was born in Liverpool. She retains strong links with the city and her orchestral work Magnetite was commissioned by Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008 and performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko. She is Honorary Research Fellow in Composition at Liverpool Hope University. Her works are performed and broadcast internationally and in November 2010 her LSO UBS Soundscapes: Pioneers commission Solar was premiered by the London Symphony under Nicholas Collon. Emily's compositions often draw inspiration from the power of the physics of nature. The Financial Times wrote of Solar that it "manages to suggest galactic power on a compact scale and sets a trajectory of inexorable slow movement that took it convincingly in a single revolution to the final bar." Emily studied Mathematics and Computation at Lincoln College, Oxford, prior to composition studies at the Royal Northern College of Music where she is now a member of staff. She is a recipient of a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Composers.

Second Movement is a young UK company which specialises in modern opera often staged in unusual spaces including an old banana warehouse in Covent Garden and a Victorian music hall in Hoxton. The company is committed to Czech repertoire, in particular the works of Martinu and recently performed his opera The Knife’s Tears (“stunning” The Independent on Sunday) in the Czech Republic. Second Movement was founded in 2004 by conductor Nicholas Chalmers, director Oliver Mears and producer Abigail Toland to provide a platform for young artists, musicians, technicians, designers and directors to work on the production and performance of fully staged opera.

Zatopek! will be developed and performed in partnership with Liverpool Hope University, the European Opera Centre, Liverpool Philharmonic and its contemporary music group, Ensemble 10/10, and Ensemble Opera Diversa (Czech Republic).

Zatopek! will be performed in Liverpool, London and the Czech Republic in 2012.

For all enquiries please contact Abigail Toland on 07767 894 388 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.secondmovement.org.uk
www.emilyhoward.com