Handel's famed "Water Music" and his "Music for the Royal Fireworks" were both written for regal Thameside festivities in the 18th century.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Initially presented in April at a studio theater within the Royal Opera House, "The Fireworks-Maker's Daughter" calls for nine players plus the conductor, all of whom are onstage, rather than hidden in the pit.

WSJ: Metropolis Ensemble Offers an Opera for the Elementary Set

The Reverend Ron Lancaster, 82, who runs Kimbolton Fireworks in Cambridgeshire, received the plaque from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

BBC: Cambridgeshire