With a Song in my Heart! Wellness with WNO at the BPS Annual Scientific Meeting

The BPS (British Pain Society) Annual Scientific Meeting in Newport, Wales (June 3–5 2025), might not appear, at first sight, to have much to offer the pain patient (or even the BPS’s own patient reps!). It’s an industry and academic jamboree packed with presentations on the very latest cutting-edge research and pharmaceutical developments. But the importance of the patient voice means many of those with lived experience actively take part in the sessions as well as providing useful ‘customer feedback’ to the pain professionals. And this year’s conference was particularly notable for a patient-centric presentation by the Welsh National Opera (WNO) of their Wellness with WNO programme. This fun, free and physical intervention began as a pilot project to help breathlessness post-COVID but has evolved to become a much broader programme successfully helping people suffering from a range of health conditions including chronic pain. It made national headlines earlier this year (Guardian , BBC ) and combines breathing exercises with vocal warm-ups and (of course) singing.

Making music is known to have a host of health benefits, from releasing dopamine to decreasing cortisol, so it’s no surprise that these sessions have proved effective for people with chronic pain. The initial six-week pilot programme ran from March 2024 to March 2025 and has since been adapted specifically to support people with chronic pain. And the key findings are impressive, making it clear that it’s an intervention that works, with more than two-thirds of participants reporting an improvement in their pain or discomfort.

Owen Hughes, former National Clinical Lead for Persistent Pain, NHS Wales, said: ‘This partnership with WNO has been hugely successful. Feedback from participants has been fabulous, with many telling us that being involved in the programme has been life-changing. Not only have they enjoyed learning to use breath and song to help manage their pain, but it has also given them the confidence to socialise again. Several participants have said that they’ve gone on to join choirs and some are looking to return to work. The power of music and song has really made a difference to their lives.’

June Evans, one of the Wellness with WNO participants, said: ‘The programme has genuinely changed my life. Before I started the sessions, I was consumed by grief for the life I had before my illness and felt constantly controlled by my pain. Wellness at the WNO has taught me how to tame the pain and every session brings me one step closer to the person I used to be. It has brought joy back into my life and has showed me how to smile again.’ You’d expect nothing less in the land of song!

Written by Tim Atkinson, this article was first published by Live Well with Pain.

It has been reprinted with kind permission from the Welsh National Opera.

Credit for the image ‘June Evans, smiling again’ goes to Polly Thomas.

Wellness with WNO is supported by Arts Council Wales via the Arts, Health and Wellbeing Lottery Fund, and NHS Wales health boards. The WNO pilot programme for Persistent Pain was funded by the Welsh Government and delivered in partnership with NHS Wales.