Leeds Opera Festival 2019

23-27 August Welcome to our third Festival, but our first under the new name of the Leeds Opera Festival!

This change marks our group’s production entertains, but that it commitment to bringing opera to also provokes, and perhaps raises many communities across the city more questions than it answers! - making it a Festival not just for In Headingley we’re Feasting on the city centre, but for people and Falstaff with food, opera and film, venues throughout Leeds. and we’re hosting our first ever live This year we’re celebrating Opera Operacast episode at our podcast and Shakespeare. At the latest count home, Chapel FM. there are over 300 operas adapted from the Bard’s plays, and we should This is our biggest Festival to date, be covering about ten of them just and we hope it will only get bigger as this August! we bring rare and wonderful operas to more venues and communities Stanford’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ across the city in 2020 and beyond… takes centre stage at Morley Town Hall. We workshopped the opera in A huge ‘thank you’ to our artists, 2016 and I’m delighted that we’ve partners and venues, and of course been able to stage the full work to our funders, without whose this year. It’s a truly terrific hidden generous support the Festival gem that I hope we might be able wouldn’t be possible. to encourage more companies to Do let us know – in person or online mount in the future. – what you think of the Festival, and With thanks Elizabeth Freestone and Helen do make sure to join our mailing list Harrison have put together a or follow us on social media to keep MARK SKIPPER LOUISE GIBBS CHAPEL FM up to date with our plans for the fascinating new production called RACHEL BAMFORTH MORLEY ARTS FOLGER SHAKESPEARE future. Next up – ‘The Christmas Elf’ ‘Musical Confusion’. We wanted to SARAH CALVERT FESTIVAL LIBRARY explore how the plays and operas at Northern Ballet this December! LORNA JAMES NORTHERN BALLET MICHAEL MULLEN work together – where are the AND THE ROYAL SALLY STEPHENS UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS similarities and where are the COLLEGE OF MUSIC DAVID WARD EMILY SIMPSON LEEDS ARTS differences; how do Shakespeare STANFORD SOCIETY Artistic Director UNIVERSITY and composers achieve similar PELLY&ME BAMPTON OPERA BENJAMIN HAMILTON emotional reactions, but often in LOUISE GARNER PHOTOGRAPHY OPERA RESTOR’D MARTIN PICKARD very different ways. We hope the Producer PAUL GARNER Your 2019 Festival Schedule

FRI 23 AUGUST SUN 25 AUGUST MUCH ADO ABOUT A FEAST OF NOTHING FALSTAFF 7:30pm, £20/£15/£10 6:30pm start, £30 Morley Town Hall HEART Headingley

SAT 24 AUGUST MON 26 AUGUST IN DISCUSSION: OPERACAST LIVE DR JEREMY DIBBLE 2pm, FREE AND DAVID WARD Chapel FM 6:30pm start FREE (suggested donation £5) MUCH ADO Morley Town Hall

TUES 27 AUGUST ABOUT MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING HENRY ROWLEY NOTHING 7:30pm, £20/£15/£10 BISHOP CONCERT Morley Town Hall 7pm FREE (suggested donation £5) FRI 23 AUGUST & Leeds Town Hall SAT 24 AUGUST 2019

MUSICAL SUN 25 AUGUST CONFUSION COME AND SING 8pm start 2pm-4pm, £5 £15/£10 HEART Headingley Leeds Town Hall Cast and Crew The Road to Much Ado

BENEDICK DON JOHN DIRECTOR Phil Wilcox Thomas D Hopkinson David Ward With the Shakespeare 400 to get the opera on its feet proved celebrations in 2016 I was looking for that this was a work that certainly

CLAUDIO LEONATO DESIGNER a suitable opera for us to perform as deserved a full production in the Roger Paterson Jake Muffett Tiffany Dawson part of the nationwide festivities. future. The main question for us BEATRICE DOGBERRY PRODUCER was not ‘if’, but ‘when’! Catrin Woodruff Louis Hurst Louise Garner As we were still only a few months old as a company, we knew that we In 2017 we launched our first Opera HERO FRIAR MUSIC by wouldn’t have neither the time nor Festival, which has enabled us to Charlotte Hoather Blaise Malaba Charles Villers Stanford the resources to carry out a large- grow our audiences, reputation DON PEDRO SEACOLE LIBRETTO scale production, so we decided and funding, and when it came Edward Robinson Grace Watkins Julian Sturgis on either performing a short work, to finding a theme and headline (after the play BORACHIO CONDUCTOR or bringing audiences scenes from production for 2019, I knew that by Shakespeare) William Branston Christopher Pelly something more ambitious. it was time for Shakespeare and ‘Much Ado’ to take centre stage! When I discovered Stanford’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ I was instantly We’ve assembled a terrific cast convinced that this was something for the production which we’re Orchestra we needed to stage. From the updating to 1950’s small town terrific opening badinage between USA, post-Korean War. It’s a time LEADER DOUBLE BASS HORN Benedick, Claudio and Don Pedro, of great social change where the Chris Hodges Jennifer Nicks Valerie Stygall to the triumphant full company pillars of the community (the Paul Kampen close, it is a work that splendidly mayor, priest, Chief of Police) still FIRST VIOLIN FLUTE Alison Major Elizabeth Wells TRUMPET lifts off the page. What struck me reign supreme, but in Beatrice we Liz Lister Jo Lewis Alex Browne most was Stanford’s vocal writing, see the beginnings of a cultural Della Hickey Sean Gleeson which is tremendously characterful. revolution emerging. We’ve been OBOE Each member of the colourful cast is able to bring back our original SECOND VIOLIN Freya Bailes PERCUSSION brilliantly characterised, whether it Beatrice (Catrin Woodruff) and Lucy Shepherd Fran Guy Tenley Mar tin be in the longer lyrical sections, or conductor (Chris Pelly), but Lynne Wadsworth COR ANGLAIS HARP Martin Stuart the fast-paced arioso exchanges. otherwise it’s a completely new Fran Guy Alice Kirwan cast and team this time around. VIOLA Sadly there was no way in 2016 CLARINET Karen Griebling Benjamin Palmer that we could stage the whole work Seishi Shimizu Rachael Gibbon with full cast, chorus, orchestra, DAVID WARD VIOLONCELLO etc.! Instead we took five singers BASSOON Artistic Director, Florence Fawcett and worked with them over a few David Baker Rose Gallaway days to stage five scene; providing Northern Opera Group Tim Whittick the audience with an overview of Director, Much Ado what the opera offered. Being able About Nothing Design Competition Cast and Crew

Northern Opera Group is proud Some of the terrific entries are on BENEDICK to be based in Leeds and to work display during the Festival, however Phil Wilcox with artists, organisations and the University of Leeds student Phil has sung as a principal soloist for Buxton Festival institutions from all over the city. Polly Rockman’s designs were the Opera, Retrospect Opera, Merry Opera Company, unanimous choice of the Northern XOGA, Proper Opera, Opera on Location and Young Earlier this year we held a design Opera Group board. competition with students from Opera Venture. Notably, in April 2018 he sang in the the University of Leeds and Leeds Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of King Lear Arts University to create the at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York. imagery for our 2019 Festival. CLAUDIO Roger Paterson

Roger trained at the Junior Academy of Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) and University of Glasgow. He has performed with Opera Brava, Kentish Opera, at Longborough Festival Opera, and in OFFIE-winning ‘Tosca’ and Olivier-nominated ‘La Bohème’ in a number of London theatres.

BEATRICE Catrin Woodruff

Samling Artist Catrin has performed at Brighton Early Music Festival, and in projects with Bergen Nasjonale Opera, Northern Opera Group, Pop-up Opera and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS). She was a grateful recipient of funding from the RCS Trust and also the Sir James Caird Travelling Scholarship Trust.

COVER DESIGNER HERO Polly Rockman Charlotte Hoather

Studying at the University of Leeds, Polly will graduate this summer with a Charlotte has sung with Scottish Opera, Metropolitan degree in Graphic & Communication Design. With a broad range of skills Opera (New York), Surrey Opera, Radius Opera and including branding, copywriting and packaging design, Polly enjoys distilling at the Waterperry Opera Festival. She picked up first clients’ ideas into fresh visuals, allowing them to engage with their audiences. prize in the Pendine International Voice of the Future All her projects begin with an in-depth research process which helps to add at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in July 2018. unique details and personality to each and every piece of work. This year, she will tour with Tim Benjamin’s new opera. DON PEDRO DOGBERRY Edward Robinson Louis Hurst

Edward has performed with Dorset Opera, Clonter Louis has performed with Scottish Opera, Opera North, Opera and sung at Birmingham Symphony Hall, Paris’ English National, Grange Park Opera, the Mastersingers Opéra Comique and The Sage, in Gateshead. Edward and at the Aix-en-Provence and Grimeborn Festivals. was Young Artist at The Buxton International Festival At the RNCM, he was supported by Michael Oglesby, the 2018 and 2019, and even premiered pieces of solo Drapers Guild and the Musicians & Benevolent Fund. He work at the Leeds Lieder Festival 2017. also participated in the ENO Opera Works Programme.

BORACHIO FRIAR William Branston Blaise Malaba

William has performed with a number of opera Recent engagements have seen Blaise make his companies, including Paisley Opera, Bournemouth upcoming performances at Opera North. In 2015, Symphony Orchestra, Opera Holloway, Hampstead he was finalist in the BBC Cardiff Singer of World Garden Opera, and Trinity Laban Opera. William is competition and won the first prize in the Impreza thrilled to be working with Northern Opera Group International Vocal Competition. Blaise joins the again after playing Corin in their ‘Alfred’, 2017. Royal Opera House from June 2020 as a Link Artist.

DON JOHN SEACOLE Thomas D Hopkinson Grace Watkins

Thomas has sung with RNCM Opera, The Hallé, Opera Grace has sung with Leeds University Opera Society, North, Grange Park Opera and Garsington Opera. His Leeds Camerata and the Ilkley and Otley Choral Society. performances have been worldwide, seeing him sing In her first year at University, she represented Leeds everywhere from the Wexford Festival Opera to the Al College of Music at the Leeds Lieder Festival, singing Bustan Festival, in Lebanon. He was the recipient of in a masterclass and a recital. Grace is also due to sing The Wexford Festival Opera’s Aria Friends Bursary. with The Verismo Voices later this year.

LEONATO CONDUCTOR Jake Muffett Christopher Pelly

Jake’s most recent roles have seen him perform with Christopher is the artistic director of the Leeds Glyndebourne Opera Festival, British Opera Festival Haydn Players, the musical director of Otley Chamber and Opéra de Baugé. In 2019, Jake completed the Orchestra and a frequent guest conductor for West young artist programme at the National Opera Studio. Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra. He has also conducted Jake’s experience also stretches to musical theatre, two musicals at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford: most recently for Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte. Made in Dagenham, 2019, and Hello Dolly, in 2018.

For full biographies please visit NORTHERNOPERAGROUP.CO.UK For full biographies please visit NORTHERNOPERAGROUP.CO.UK REPETITEUR Jenny Martins

Previously the repetiteur for Opera North Education, Jenny has since returned to Opera North for projects such as ‘Intro to Opera’. She has worked with Hallé ensembles, playing regularly with the Hallé Youth Choir, Hallé Training Choir and Hallé Children’s Choir. She also teaches students at the University of Leeds.

DESIGNER Tiffany Dawson

A costume and set designer, Tiffany has previously worked with Northern Opera Group at Left Bank Opera Festival, Manchester International Festival, and in the Andrew Lloyd Webber Theatre, Plymouth’s Barbican and a number of other theatres countrywide. Tiffany helped tour The Wandering Scholar with NOG in 2018.

PRODUCER Louise Garner

Louise has performed with St Peter’s Singers, Leeds Philharmonic Choir and the choruses of Opera Soc and Northern Opera Group. Leeds University Opera Soc has played a huge part in her love of the art form, however she’s been a singer since the age of 7 when she joined her Church choir back in East Sussex.

DIRECTOR David Ward TUES 27 AUGUST 2019 David has previously worked for Opera North, Royal Northern College of Music, Northern Ballet, and Leeds International Piano Competition. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts Fellow, a Trustee of MUSICAL the Opera and Music Theatre Forum, and Leeds Youth Opera. He hosts our monthly podcast, Operacast. CONFUSION

For full biographies please visit NORTHERNOPERAGROUP.CO.UK ACTOR Ben Addis

Ben’s credits span theatre, film, television and radio. His television performances include well-known Vera (ITV), Lewis (ITV) and even BBC’s Doctor Who. Ben has also been seen on stage at a number of notable locations, including RSC, Young Vic, National Theatre, Sheffield Crucible and the West Yorkshire Playhouse.

TENOR Michael Vincent Jones From the very early beginnings of where are the stark differences? Our opera, Shakespeare’s plays have performance of ‘Musical Confusion’ Michael has performed with the National Gilbert and been adapted for the musical stage brings together Shakespeare’s plays, Sullivan Opera Company for three seasons, and is a by composers across the world. with the operas inspired by them, to 2016 Iford Arts New Generation Artist and member But how does opera evolve from the explore the 400 year history of the of the Opera North Shadowing scheme, which saw plays? Where are the similarities, and Bard on the musical stage... him shadow a role in Don Giovanni, 2018. He has also performed with Victorian Opera and Radius Opera.

DIRECTOR SOPRANO Elizabeth Freestone Juliet Montgomery

From 2012-17, Elizabeth was the Artistic Director of Juliet’s operatic credits include working with the Pentabus Theatre Company, a new writing company National G&S Opera Company, Preston Opera, RCNM, touring nationwide, where she directed world Scottish Opera, Opera North and Opera on Location. premieres. Her credits include international tours, a She has performed internationally, on radio and on Shakespeare’s Globe European tour, and a number of television, and even at Edinburgh Festival. Juliet was performances for RSC and Greenwich Theatre. a Young Artist in Buxton Opera’s ‘MacBeth’, 2017.

CONDUCTOR ACTRESS Helen Harrison Rachel Leskovac

Helen is the Music Director and Conductor for Preston Rachel has had a successful career across theatre Opera, Blackpool Symphony, Lytham St. Annes Choral and TV, with her performance as Viv in ‘Spend Spend Society, Lancashire Youth Symphony Orchestra and Spend’ at the Piccadilly Theatre seeing her nominated the founder of the Helios Symphony Orchestra. Helen for an Olivier Award as Best Actress in a Musical. works regularly with ensembles across the north, Her extensive TV career includes ‘Happy Valley’, ‘Last including Leeds College of Music Chamber Orchestra. Tango in Halifax’, ‘Hollyoaks’ and ‘Coronation Street’.

For full biographies please visit NORTHERNOPERAGROUP.CO.UK For full biographies please visit NORTHERNOPERAGROUP.CO.UK A FEAST OF FALSTAFF

SUN 25 AUGUST 2019 A Feast of Falstaff: Sir John in Opera be talking about a Henry V opera, or Richard III, for instance (though it still seems baffling that there’s no There’s no other character from an obvious choice for librettists notable Richard III opera – what a Shakespeare who has charmed the and composers looking for new central character to set to music!). imaginations of operacomposers inspiration. Of the six Falstaff operas mentioned and librettists than Sir John Falstaff. Although Falstaff appears in three earlier, it is only Holst’s At the Boar’s There are two core pieces of opera plays – a fact made full use of by Head that focuses on the events repertoire that feature Falstaff – Orson Welles in extraordinary film of the Henry IV’s. Both Holst and Nicolai’s Merry Wives of Windsor Chimes at Midnight – opera largely Vaughan-Williams were important and Verdi’s Falstaff – alongside sticks to Merry Wives of Windsor. players in the resurrection of operas by the likes of Antonio Salieri Indeed for all of the hundreds of traditional English music in the (Mozart’s arch-nemesis, should Shakespeare operas hardly any are early 20 th century (as notable the movie be believed!), the Irish based on the history plays. British classical composers began composer Michael Balfe, and British to emerge, so too did their desire After much thinking about why this heavyweights Ralph Vaughan- to promote the largely ignored or is the case I’d be pleased to hear Williams and Gustav Holst. forgotten English music of previous opinions on the issue! I wonder centuries) and both composers Why is it that Sir John has proven so if the topic of (sometimes fairly relied heavily on traditional English popular over 200 hundred odd years obscure) English history was too melodies for their Falstaff operas. of opera history? removed for continental librettists and composers. It’s notable how The entirety of At the Boar’s Head Arguably the main reason is that few historic English figures and takes place in the eponymous tavern, Falstaff fits the bill of one of stories are represented in opera as Falstaff and Hal prop up the bar, the most beloved stock opera – Elizabeth I is the most popular and allow various characters to characters – that of the Basso Buffo monarch on the opera stage, but come in and out – it is, and certainly (‘funny bass’). A character that truly even she features in such few feels, episodic. Though not as came to the fore towards the end of works, and the only major composer obviously entertaining as the Merry the 18 th century, sometimes they to pay much attention to English Wives operas, what we do get is the are a slightly malevolent but pathetic history was Gaetano Donizetti, with relationship between Hal and Falstaff character, and at others the slightly his set of Tudor operas. – surely one of the most fascinating hapless foil to the main protagonist. in all of Shakespeare. Wouldn’t it Very rarely the hero, the Buffo The lack of development of English be great to have a trilogy of Henry is still often the most interesting language opera between 1700 operas, to see this relationship and entertaining character – and 1900 (a slight generalisation, develop dramatically and musically? think Bartolo in Barber of Seville, but not by much) has a great Maybe one day... Dulcamara in Elixir of Love, or Baron part to play in this. I’m sure had Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier. It’s easy England churned out popular opera DAVID WARD to see how Falstaff – whether as a composers in the same rate as Italy, Artistic Director, direct Buffo or a near cousin – was Germany or even France, we would Northern Opera Group Northern Opera Group perform rare and wonderful operas in imaginative ways.

Formed in 2015 by Artistic Director, Cinderella (Viardot), The Wandering David Ward, and Producer, Louise Scholar (Holst), and Alfred (Arne). Garner, the company produce Future plans include works by both professional and community Pfitzner and Delius, as well as regular productions of works outside of concert programme. the core repertoire - enabling We are always pleased to hear from artists and audiences to enjoy potential partners and collaborators operas and composers that they for future productions - please would otherwise never likely have contact David in the first instance. opportunity to experience.

Previous productions include Amahl DAVID WARD and the Night Visitors (Menotti), [email protected] Support Support Form

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