SCOTTISH Opera has announced the details of its 2013/14 Season which will feature 14 different shows, including four new productions, a UK premiere, two collaborations and 181 performances taking place in 51 different venues.
The company announced its new season one year from the day that its home, Theatre Royal Glasgow, will re-open with a performance of Madama Butterfly following an ambitious project to build new foyers and improve access and comfort at the theatre.
Scottish Opera’s general director, Alex Reedijk, said: “During our 50th anniversary season, we completed Scottish Opera’s biggest-ever tour, taking in 50 communities around Scotland. This season, we are determined to harness that momentum with great shows, new ways and new places for people across Scotland to enjoy opera.
“Sir Thomas Allen will be opening our season with the title that I have most wanted to see him present ever since he first directed for us with The Barber of Seville in 2007.
“He has world-renowned expertise singing the role of Don Giovanni, and it’s a great honour for us that his first look at it from the other side of the curtain will be for Scottish Opera’s audiences.
“I really am proud of the depth of quality and the breadth and variety of appeal that we are offering with this season: we’ll be taking audiences from 17th century Venice to the war-torn Balkans and the smoky 1960s jazz bars of America’s Deep South.
“With so much on offer, I hope people will find much to enjoy and that many may be tempted to try opera for the first time.”
In the autumn, Sir Thomas Allen and Simon Higlett begin the season with their much anticipated new production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, conducted by Speranza Scappuci making her Company debut. In early 2014, director-designer duo Renaud Doucet and André Barbe will create a new production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale to be conducted by Francesco Corti. And in May, the opera that launched the Company in 1962, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, returns to mark the re-opening of Theatre Royal Glasgow in a revival of Sir David McVicar’s ever-popular 2000 production, conducted by newly-appointed music director, Emmanuel Joel-Hornak.
Due to the temporary closure of the Theatre Royal between February and May 2014, Scottish Opera will present these three mainstage operas rather than four, which has been customary in previous years.
However, the Company will remain busy throughout the Spring: in March bidding a formal farewell to outgoing music director Francesco Corti with a concert performance of Puccini’s Turandot at the Usher Hall; and in the same month, Emmanuel Joel-Hornak will conduct a revival of Dominic Hill’s 2005 production of Verdi’s Macbeth with chamber orchestra in Glasgow’s Citizens and Edinburgh’s King’s theatres.
In August 2013, Scottish Opera will once again perform as part of both the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A new co-production with The Opera Group, of Olga Neuwirth’s American Lulu – a radical new take on Berg’s unfinished opera Lulu – will make its UK premier at the Edinburgh International Festival following performances at Austria’s Bregenz Festival. And a revival of Kally Lloyd-Jones’ Herald Angel Award-winning production of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s The Seven Deadly Sins will be one of six short shows to be performed as part of the Fringe.
Internationally-renowned singers are lined up to perform in Scotland, with casts throughout the season balancing experience on the worldwide stage with exciting new talent. Don Giovanni sees Soprano Lisa Milne returning to her native Scotland to sing Donna Elvira alongside Susan Gritton and Peter Kalman. Jose Ferrero returns to Scottish Opera to sing Pinkerton following his success in 2012’s Tosca.
International stars, Claire Rutter, Ryland Davies and Sir Willard White, head up the cast of Turandot. Names to watch include Jacques Imbrailo (Don Giovanni), Ruth Jenkins (Norina, Don Pasquale) and Hye-Youn Lee (Madama Butterfly). Graduate of Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artists programme Nadine Livingstone returns to Scotland in the role of Anna in The Seven Deadly Sins.
Away from Scotland’s main cities, a new production of Handel’s Rodelinda will tour 16 of the country’s smaller venues as part of Scottish Opera’s commitment to ensuring that top-quality opera visits communities the length and breadth of Scotland.
The company’s education and outreach activities continue to thrive nationally and internationally. Alongside long-running core activities such as touring to Scotland’s primary schools, there will be a new Christmas show for three-to-six year-olds, Platypus in Boots, and revivals of both BabyO and SensoryO, the company’s interactive shows for babies and toddlers.
The Scottish Opera Emerging Artists programme, which gives graduate singers the opportunity of professional work with the Company, goes from strength to strength. Two outstanding young singers, soprano Sarah Power and mezzo-soprano Sioned Gwen Davies join baritone Andrew McTaggart who stays on for a second year. And for the first time, a director, Lissa Lorenzo, will join the scheme. Gareth Williams continues in his role as Composer in Residence.
Alongside all of these productions, Scottish Opera continues to introduce new audiences to opera and take opera out of the theatre with free performances of Opera Unwrapped and A Little Bit of… In a continuation of Scottish Opera’s ‘£10 tix if you’re under-26′ scheme, which has seen over 18,000 young people attend a Scottish Opera performance since it started in 2006, tickets for any seat at any performance of Don Giovanni, Don Pasquale and Madama Butterfly will be priced at £10 for those under the age of 26.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Performances
AUG 2013
Fri 16 Aug 8pm American Lulu Bregenz Festival, Austria
Sat 17 Aug 8pm American Lulu Bregenz Festival, Austria
Wed 28 Aug 7.30pm Dance Derby Universal Hall, Findhorn
Thu 29 Aug 8pm Dance Derby One Touch, Eden Court, Inverness
Fri 30 Aug 7.30pm Dance Derby Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline
SEPT 2013
Sun 1 Sep 7.30pm Dance Derby Eastwood Park Theatre, Giffnock
Fri 13 Sep 7.30pm American Lulu Young Vic, London
Sat 14 Sep 7pm American Lulu Young Vic, London
Tue 17 Sep 7.30pm American Lulu Young Vic, London
Wed 18 Sep 7.30pm American Lulu Young Vic, London
Fri 20 Sep 7.30pm American Lulu Young Vic, London
Sat 21 Sep 7.30pm American Lulu Young Vic, London
Mon 23 Sep 7.30pm American Lulu Young Vic, London
Tue 24 Sep 7.30pm American Lulu Young Vic, London
Thu 26 Sep 7.30pm Rodelinda The Beacon, Greenock
OCT 2013
Tue 1 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda Nevis Centre, Fort William
Thu 3 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda Macphail Theatre, Ullapool
Sat 5 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda An Lanntair, Stornoway
Sun 6 Oct 3pm Orchestral Concert St Andrew’s in the Square, Glasgow
Tue 8 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda Wick High School
Thu 10 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda One Touch, Eden Court, Inverness
Sat 12 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda Haddo House, Ellon
Tue 15 Oct 7.15pm Don Giovanni Theatre Royal Glasgow
Tue 15 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda Macrobert, Stirling
Thu 17 Oct 6pm Don Giovanni Unwrapped Theatre Royal Glasgow
Thu 17 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries
Fri 18 Oct 7.15pm Don Giovanni Theatre Royal Glasgow
Sat 19 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda Victoria Halls, Helensburgh
Sun 20 Oct 4pm Don Giovanni Theatre Royal Glasgow
Tue 22 Oct 7.15pm Don Giovanni Theatre Royal Glasgow
Tue 22 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda Gardyne Theatre, Dundee
Thu 24 Oct 7.15pm Don Giovanni Theatre Royal Glasgow
Thu 24 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda Deeside Theatre, Aboyne
Sat 26 Oct 7.15pm Don Giovanni Theatre Royal Glasgow
Sat 26 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda Nairn Community & Arts Centre
Tue 29 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline
Thu 31 Oct 7.30pm Don Giovanni His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen
Thu 31 Oct 7.30pm Rodelinda Tait Hall, Kelso
NOV/DEC 2013
Fri 1 Nov 3pm AerialO Production Studios, Glasgow
Fri 1 Nov 6pm Don Giovanni Unwrapped His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen
Fri 1 Nov 7pm AerialO Production Studios, Glasgow
Sat 2 Nov 7.30pm Don Giovanni His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen
Sat 2 Nov 7.30pm Rodelinda The Brunton, Musselburgh
Thu 7 Nov 7.15pm Don Giovanni Eden Court, Inverness
Fri 8 Nov 6pm Don Giovanni Unwrapped Eden Court, Inverness
Sat 9 Nov 7.15pm Don Giovanni Eden Court, Inverness
Thu 14 Nov 7.15pm Don Giovanni Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Fri 15 Nov 6pm Don Giovanni Unwrapped Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Sat 16 Nov 7.30pm Orchestral Concert Paisley Abbey
Sun 17 Nov 4pm Don Giovanni Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Tue 19 Nov 7.15pm Don Giovanni Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Thu 21 Nov 7.15pm Don Giovanni Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Sat 23 Nov 7.15pm Don Giovanni Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Wed 27 Nov 10am and 1pm Platypus in Boots Production Studios, Glasgow
Thu 28 Nov 10am and 1pm Platypus in Boots Production Studios, Glasgow
Fri 29 Nov 10am and 1pm Platypus in Boots Production Studios, Glasgow
Sat 30 Nov 10am and 1pm Platypus in Boots Production Studios, Glasgow
Sun 1 Dec 10am and 1pm Platypus in Boots Production Studios, Glasgow
JAN 2014
Fri 24 Jan 7.15pm Don Pasquale Theatre Royal Glasgow
Sun 26 Jan 4pm Don Pasquale Theatre Royal Glasgow
Wed 29 Jan 7.15pm Don Pasquale Theatre Royal Glasgow
Thu 30 Jan 6pm Don Pasquale Unwrapped Theatre Royal Glasgow
FEB 2014
Sat 1 Feb 7.15pm Don Pasquale Theatre Royal Glasgow
Thu 6 Feb 1.10pm Emerging Artists’ Recital Concert Hall, University of Glasgow
Tue 18 Feb 7.15pm Don Pasquale Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Wed 19 Feb 6pm Don Pasquale Unwrapped Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Thu 20 Feb 7.15pm Don Pasquale Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Sat 22 Feb 7.15pm Don Pasquale Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Tue 25 Feb 7.30pm Opera Highlights Howden Park Centre, Livingston
Thu 27 Feb 7.30pm Opera Highlights Craignish Village Hall, Ardfern
MAR 2014
Sat 1 Mar 7.30pm Opera Highlights Bunessan Community Centre, Mull
Tue 4 Mar 7.30pm Opera Highlights Ballachulish Village Hall
Thu 6 Mar 7.30pm Opera Highlights Seall at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Skye
Sat 8 Mar 7.30pm Opera Highlights Gairloch Community Centre
Tue 11 Mar 7.30pm Opera Highlights Carrbridge Village Hall
Thu 13 Mar 7.30pm Opera Highlights Orkney Theatre, Kirkwall
Sat 15 Mar 7.30pm Opera Highlights Black Isle Community Theatre, Fortrose
Tue 18 Mar 7.30pm Opera Highlights Morrison’s Academy Hall, Crieff
Thu 20 Mar 7.30pm Opera Highlights Midmar Village Hall
Sat 22 Mar 7.30pm Macbeth Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
Sat 22 Mar 7.30pm Opera Highlights Montrose Town Hall
Tue 25 Mar 7.30pm Opera Highlights Corn Exchange, Cupar
Thu 27 Mar 7.30pm Macbeth Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
Thu 27 Mar 7.30pm Opera Highlights Dalbeattie Town Hall
Sat 29 Mar 7.30pm Macbeth Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
Sat 29 Mar 7.30pm Opera Highlights Victoria Hall, Selkirk
Sun 30 Mar 4pm Turandot Usher Hall, Edinburgh
APR 2014
Tue 1 Apr 7.30pm Opera Highlights Whiting Bay Village Hall, Arran
Thu 3 Apr 7.30pm Opera Highlights Maybole Town Hall
Sat 5 Apr 7.30pm Opera Highlights Village Theatre, East Kilbride
Tue 8 Apr 7.15pm Macbeth King’s Theatre Edinburgh
Thu 10 Apr 7.15pm Macbeth King’s Theatre Edinburgh
MAY 2014
Thu 8 May 7.15pm Madama Butterfly Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Fri 9 May 6pm Madama Butterfly Unwrapped Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Sun 11 May 4pm Madama Butterfly Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Tue 13 May 7.15pm Madama Butterfly Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Thu 15 May 7.15pm Madama Butterfly Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Sat 17 May 7.15pm Madama Butterfly Festival Theatre Edinburgh
Wed 21 May 7.15pm Madama Butterfly Theatre Royal Glasgow
Thu 22 May 6pm Madama Butterfly Unwrapped Theatre Royal Glasgow
Tue 27 May 7.15pm Madama Butterfly Theatre Royal Glasgow
Thu 29 May 7.15pm Madama Butterfly Theatre Royal Glasgow
Sat 31 May 7.15pm Madama Butterfly Theatre Royal Glasgow
JUN 2014
Sun 1 Jun 3pm Orchestral Concert St Andrew’s in the Square, Glasgow
Thu 5 Jun 7.15pm Madama Butterfly Eden Court, Inverness
Fri 6 Jun 6pm Madama Butterfly Unwrapped Eden Court, Inverness
Sat 7 Jun 7.15pm Madama Butterfly Eden Court, Inverness
Thu 12 Jun 7.30pm Madama Butterfly His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen
Fri 13 Jun 6pm Madama Butterfly Unwrapped His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen
Sat 14 Jun 7.30pm Madama Butterfly His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen
JUL/AUG 2014
Tue 29 Jul 7.15pm Madama Butterfly Theatre Royal Glasgow
Thu 31 Jul 7.15pm Madama Butterfly Theatre Royal Glasgow
Sun 3 Aug 4pm Madama Butterfly Theatre Royal Glasgow
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