OLDHAM CHORAL SOCIETY Conductor: Nigel P Wilkinson Another great Evening of G & S Concert versions of The Gondoliers and Ruddigore Presented by Donald Maxwell With the National Festival Orchestra SUNDAY May 31st 2015 at 7.30pm AT THE MIDDLETON ARENA OLDHAM CHORAL SOCIETY PATRON: Jeffrey Lawton CHAIRMAN: Fred Jones Vice-Chair: Margaret Hood Vice-President: Nancy Murphy Hon. Secretary: Ray Smith Hon. Treasurer: John Price Music Director: Nigel P. Wilkinson Acting Accompanist: Sam Ali Conductor Emeritus: John Bethell MBE Librarian: Sue Howard Ticket Sec.: Lionel Dossett / Margaret Hallam Patrons’ Sec.: Sylvia Andrew Membership Sec.: Brenda Buckley Uniform Co-ordination: Val Dawson Webmaster: David Baird Concert Manager: Fred Jones Promotions Group: Sue Howard, (Chair), David Baird, Margaret Hood, Fred Jones, Maggs Martin. LIFE MEMBERS Eva Dale, Alan Mellor, Nancy Murphy, Peter Quan, Hilda Rosebury, Eric Youd A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Following last year’s highly successful pairing of the much loved Mikado and the less well known Patience, we repeat the format tonight with The Gondoliers – possibly the most popular of Gilbert and Sullivan’s works, with Ruddigore - again less well known, but full of lovely tunes, sharp humour and the inevitable twists and turns of plot which mark all the G&S operettas. Many of the choir look forward to this “end of term treat”, mainly because of the wonderful soloists and Donald Maxwell’s terrific narration – it’s like a “night out” for us as well as the audience. With the Festival Orchestra and the choir in brilliant voice, you are sure of an evening to remember, so sit back and enjoy! During the break (on Sunday, June 21st) we will be holding a Jazz and Strawberry afternoon in Denshaw. If you would like to join us and help raise funds, please ask any choir member for details. Fundraising and ticket sales are a very important aspect of the choir’s work, as we continually strive to improve standards and engage soloists and musicians of the highest quality. So please continue to support us in any way you can, and bring along your friends to our next concert. Our next concert, in November, will be an Italian Gala. See our leaflets or visit our website for details. Have a lovely summer, and we look forward to seeing you again soon. Fred Jones. Oldham Choral Society Conductor: Nigel P. Wilkinson Gilbert & Sullivan Gala Devised and produced by Nigel Wilkinson Narrated by Donald Maxwell RUDDIGORE or The Witch’s Curse THE GONDOLIERS or The King of Barataria with the National Festival Orchestra Cast details and a list of musical items can be found in the centre pages PLEASE ENSURE THAT ALL MOBILE PHONES ARE SWITCHED TO SILENT MODE OR OFF. There will be an interval of 20 minutes. A selection of drinks and refreshments will be available at the licensed barand cafeteria. You are kindly requested to refrain from taking photographs during the performance. DONALD MAXWELL We are delighted to welcome Donald to Middleton once again and have no doubt that he will as usual keep us entertained with his witty anecdotes and humorous reflections on the plots of our two operettas this evening – Ruddigore and The Gondoliers . Donald Maxwell was born in Perth and graduated in Geography from Edinburgh University. He joined Scottish Opera in 1976 having studied singing with Joseph Hislop. Since then his career has taken him to The Royal Opera Covent Garden, The Met New York, Vienna Staatsoper, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, La Scala Milan, Salzburg Easter Festival and the Paris Opera, as well as to such diverse venues as Tokyo, Macao, Houston and Vancouver. In Britain he has sung with all the main opera companies as well as making frequent appearances at the BBC Proms. He has a repertoire of over a hundred operatic roles ranging from Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream to Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus . Highlights include the title roles in Rigoletto, Wozzeck, Falstaff and The Flying Dutchman, as well as the great Italian comic roles: Dulcamara, Bartolo, Melitone, Don Pasquale, Don Geronio and Gianni Schicchi. His repertoire also includes such varied characters as Golaud in Pelleas and Melisande , Iago in Otello , Don Alfonso in Cosi fan Tutte and both Swallow and Balstrode in Peter Grimes . He has created roles in world premieres by Berio, Holt, Harle and Eotvos. Donald has had a long affinity with operetta and has performed and recorded a large number of Gilbert and Sullivan roles. As part of the Music Box with Linda Ormiston, he has performed for 30 years in cabaret including seven consecutive years of late night shows at the Edinburgh International Festival. Directorial credits include Pimpinone and The Beautiful Galatea at Buxton Festival, where he was Artistic Director in 1999, Die Fledermaus for Clonter Opera, and Patience and La Gazzetta for the RCM. He now specialises in mature operatic gentlemen like Alcindoro in La Boheme and Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Donald passing on his skills to students at the Welsh College – in rehearsal for “The Rape of Lucretia” KATHLEEN WILKINSON returns to the Arena after a 3 year absence from our G & S concerts. She has sung principal roles with most of Britain’s major companies, and in Europe, but many of her earliest solo opportunities were in Gilbert and Sullivan performances and concerts with local societies. She has in fact sung leading roles in all the regularly performed Savoy Operas, and sings a variety of roles this evening. She has a long association with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden where roles have included Filipyevna Eugene Onegin, Brigitte Die Tote Stadt, Mother Goose The Rake’s Progress, 3rd Maid Elektra and the She-Ancient A Midsummer Marriage . For Glyndebourne she has sung Mistress Quickly Falstaff , Mrs Herring Albert Herring , Genevieve Pelleas et Melisande , Pastuchyna Jenufa and Filipyevna. She has also sung regularly for English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Opera Holland Park, Grange Park and Scottish Opera. In Europe she has been a frequent guest artist at Opera Lyon, most recently singing Auntie in Peter Grimes , and has sung in Nantes, Rennes, Porto, Sopot [Poland], Torre del Lago, Wexford, Lanzarote, and at the Edinburgh International festival. She has recorded frequently for the BBC, CHANDOS, Radio France and the Mezzo Channel and in 2013 took part in a “live” video relay of Onegin from Covent Garden to over 200 cinemas worldwide. This was also broadcast on Channel 4. Recent work has included Maria Stuarda at the Royal Opera with Joyce Di Donato, and Ines de Castro conducted by the composer, James MacMillan for Scottish Opera. She is currently in rehearsal for The Marriage of Figaro in Antwerp and Ghent. Future engagements include Onegin at Garsington and The Rake’s Progress in Caen, Limoges, Rouen, Reims and Luxembourg. JAMES OGDEN sings the role of the Duke of Plaza Toro. Having enjoyed a long and distinguished association with the works of Gilbert and Sullivan Jim (after deliberation with Mrs. O.) has announced that this will be his final appearance as a soloist, but he intends to continue singing with the choir which he joined some years ago. He started his G & S career whilst a medical student, (and after qualifying), with the acclaimed Manchester University G & S Society, with whom he played many baritone and patter roles. A member of the Halle choir for 15 years his work took him to Burnley in 1974, where he continued to play a wide variety of roles, including a highly acclaimed Jack Point. As a member of the award winning West Yorkshire Savoyards, he performed leading G & S roles throughout the region and appeared with the society at the Waterford International Festival and on successful tours to Majorca, Budapest and the USA. He was a founder member of the Pendle Opera Group, playing in over 30 operas, and singing a variety of roles, including Dulcamara L’Elisir d’amore, Pere Germont La Traviata , and the title roles in Gianni Schicchi and Macbeth. A talented all-rounder, Jim has directed The Magic Flute and The Bartered Bride, and served as Musical Director or Chorus Master for various groups. Jim was, in fact, born nearby in Werneth, so it is a curious coincidence that he should end his solo career singing with the Oldham Choral Society. Thanks for the memories Jim! CLAIRE LEES grew up in Rochdale. She was an avid member of the Rochdale Music Service for many years, playing French Horn in the orchestra and wind band, and singing in the choir. This allowed Claire to pursue a path in music, studying at the Birmingham Conservatoire for her BMus (Hons). She is currently at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama on the Guildhall Artist Masters Programme, under the tutelage of Yvonne Kenny. Claire has had many opportunities at the school, singing in the opera, Francesca di Foix by Donizetti. She has also performed solo excerpts from Haydn’s Creation for the LSO’s Singing day and participated in masterclasses with Susan Bullock, Graham Johnson and Sarah Walker Claire works extensively as a freelance singer; singing in concerts, competitions and masterclasses. She has performed in the ensemble of the Gilbert and Sullivan’s Opera Company in their International Festival in Buxton in both 2012 and 2013 and also the Thursford Christmas Show, 2011 and 2012. Claire returned to the Gilbert and Sullivan’s Opera Company in 2014 on their first ever UK tour, performing the roles of Yum Yum The Mikado and Phyllis Iolanthe. She was recently a finalist in both The Maureen Lehane Vocal Award 2014 at the Wigmore Hall and the International Lied Duo Competition, winning the Vrienden van het Lied Prize.