Background to the Rosalind Project

Just before the pandemic, Peter Hugh White (composer) and Clare Heath (writer, researcher) conceived the idea to write an opera about the contribution that Rosalind Franklin made to the discovery of the structure of DNA work when she was employed at King’s College London as a researcher. The idea was rooted in Clare’s personal connection to the subject: her grandfather, Sir Lawrence Bragg, was Director of the Cavendish Laboratories where Francis Crick and James Watson worked. He wrote the foreword to James Watson’s influential book, The Double Helix, published in the 1950s. Reading the book as a teenager, Clare was struck by the under-representation of Rosalind Franklin’s work and was determined to find a way to rectify the ‘wronged heroine’.

When Clare shared her thoughts with Peter, they immediately recognised the potential to tell Rosalind’s story through opera. Together, they collaborated on the libretto, and the first full score was finished in 2022 leading to a studio run-through at the National Opera Studio in November that year. Among those in attendance was Dame Kate Bingham, who had previously chosen Rosalind Franklin in the Radio 4 series ‘Great Lives’. Impressed by the performance, Kate offered her support for a professional production.

Following thorough research and an insightful visit to Rosalind Franklin‘s former workplace at King‘s College London, it was decided that the Grade 1 listed chapel on the college site would serve as an ideal venue for a staged production. This location, steeped in history, would provide a fitting backdrop for the opera.

At this stage, Alexandra, Peter‘s wife, joined the team to oversee the logistics and administration involved in staging an opera in a venue primarily used as a religious space for King‘s students. Alexandra brought significant experience to the role, having previously co-founded the Helmsley Festival in North Yorkshire with Peter during the 1980s—a time when the region had little musical activity outside York. The festival continues today as the acclaimed Ryedale Festival.

Family commitments and a return to full-time music teaching and professional gardening led Alexandra to pause these extra-curricular projects until 2025 when she registered a new charity, Helix Music, initially to promote Peter‘s opera, Rosalind, dedicated to Rosalind Franklin.