(Photo: Mark Allan) Last time Opera North visited London’s Southbank Centre it was for an award-winning semi-staged Ring cycle, conducted by then music director Richard Farnes. They even made a gripping and hugely instructive recording for YouTube that shows the entire tetralogy from a camera placed right in front of the conductor. He returns to the Royal Festival Hall with {…}
Opera North has announced its 2022-23 season with eight productions. The season opens with Verdi’s “La Traviata” with Anna Denisova, Nico Darmanin, Oliver Johnston, Stephen Gadd, and Damiano Salerno. Jonathan Webb and Manoj Kamps conduct the production by Alessandro Talevi. Performance Dates: Sept. 29-Nov. 17, 2022 “Orpheus After Monteverdi” is set to star Kezia Bienek, Jasdeep Singh Degun, Amy Freston, Ustad Shahbaz Hussain, Supriya {…}
(Photo: James Glossop) In the early 1730s the newly established The Opera of the Nobility succeeded in displacing Handel from London’s King’s Theatre, causing him to relocate to the recently built Covent Garden, a theatre furnished with the latest stage machinery, a chorus and dance company. The composer’s response to his new circumstances was to compose a run of successful {…}
(Credit: Opera North) Opera North has announced the appointment of David Collins to the new role of Executive Director / Deputy CEO. “I am delighted to announce that David Collins has accepted my invitation to be appointed Executive Director/ Deputy CEO, building on the significant contribution he has made to Opera North as Director of External Affairs over the past {…}
Opera North in the U.K. has announced that conductor Kay Salomon will join the company at the end of this year to take part in the company’s new Female Conductor Traineeship. The new initiative will offer wide-ranging experience and support within the UK’s national opera company in the north. In a statement, Salomon said, “Young conductors can feel rather vulnerable {…}
(Credit: Amy Charles / Opera North) Dr. Keith Howard OBE, president and greatest benefactor of Opera North, founder and owner of Emerald Publishing passed away on August 12, 2021. He was 89. Throughout his career, Howard was an inspiring, respected and committed leader in the publishing industry, who built Emerald into a global company, with more than 450 colleagues around {…}
(Credit: Tyler Fayose) Femi Elufowoju Jr is a practitioner of many crafts. He’s a screen actor with 15 credits, a stage director who has been at the helm for myriads of productions, and a film director. But there was a missing piece. Elufowoju Jr is a music lover and comprehends the enormous power it can have over an audience. The {…}
Opera North has announced a 10-week training program for women conductors. There will be two dedicated workshops led by Opera North Music Director Garry Walker which will include the opportunity to conduct the Company’s orchestra. Additionally, participants will receive one-on-one discussions and lessons with such figures as Principal Guest Conductor Antony Hermus; Sian Edwards, Head of Conducting at the Royal {…}
Opera North in the United Kingdom has announced its 2021-22 featuring new productions and several classic works. The season launches with Bizet’s “Carmen“ conducted by Garry Walker and Anony Hermus. The production will open the Autumn season at Leeds Grand Theatre and will also be performed as part of the Winter season. The cast includes Chrystal E. Williams as Carmen, Antoine {…}
Opera North has announced new live performances. The company will present Beethoven’s “Fidelio,” which will be the first large-scale production for over a year as the Company builds back towards a fuller program of public events. The production will be staged by Matthew Eberhardt and conducted by Paul Daniel. The cast will include Rachel Nicholls as Leonore, Toby Spence as Florestan, {…}
Opera North has announced that will be postponing all productions which were due to tour in the Autumn 2020 and Winter 2021 season. Instead, the company will be devising and curating an assortment of digital events, as well as live musical performances in accordance with health regulations in the U.K. Among the first of these events will be what is {…}