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EPOC in Cambridge, Camden & Bosnia!

English Pocket Opera Co have a busy autumn schedule ahead with workshops in Cambridge schools and all Camden schools throughout November & December. I will be co-leading many of these workshops but such is the demand for our interactive presentations, that we will often be sending out two teams at once.

The company will also be going to Mostar in Bosnia between Oct 26 & Nov 4 to lead workshops in the latest stage of the “Singfest Bosnia” project. We are still looking for a small amount of funding, so if you are interested in finding out more about the project and making a donation towards it, follow this link:

www.crowdfunder.co.uk/singfest-for-bosnia/

NIELSEN & HAYDN IN DUMFRIES

I will be singing the tenor soloist in Nielsen’s “Springtime On Funen” and in the Spring & Summer sections of Haydn’s “The Seasons”.

Dumfries Choral Society. St.John’s Church, Dumfries.

Saturday 28 March 2015 at 7.30pm

DIDO & AENEAS

I will be singing Aeneas in a concert of Purcell’s “Dido & Aeneas” as well as the tenor soloist in Handel’s “Ode for St Cecilia’s Day” with the Anstruther Philharmonic Society at Anstruther Parish Church.

Saturday 14 March 2015 at 7.30pm.

Opera Blocks in Barnet

Currently touring “Opera Blocks” in Barnet schools with English Pocket Opera Company (2-13 Feb). The middle section of the show now tells the story of “Romeo & Juliet”. This is all preparation for the Barnet schools choirs concert at the Royal Albert Hall on April 23.

VERDI’S MACBETH

EPOC Macbeth logo

The latest offspring from English Pocket Opera Company’s annual collaboration with the student designers from Central St Martins is Verdi’s “Macbeth”. I will be directing and singing in the production which will have fantastic and unusual designs from the students on the design in performance course.

Public performances on:
Wed 28 January at 7.30
Fri 30 January at 7.30
Sat 31 January at 3.00
There will also be two school matinee performances.

To book tickets:  bit.ly/1rXgXMv

Performances are at the Platform Theatre within the University of the Arts building, 5 minutes walk north of Kings Cross station. The theatre entrance is on Handyside St, London N1C 4AA.

The Cast:
Macbeth : Keel Watson
Lady Macbeth : Anna Gregory
Banquo: Simon Wilding
Macduff : Paul Featherstone
Malcolm : Alexander Wall
Witches : Grace Nyandoro, Rosalind O’Dowd, Grainne Gillis
Lady in waiting : Mai Kikkawa

Musical Director / Pianist : Philip Voldman
Lighting Designer : Alex Hopkins
Designers : Emily Bestow, Rosemary Elliott-Dancs, Katrina Felice, Harriet Fowler, Rosemary Gibbens, Alice Guile, Rosemary Millbank, Roisin Straver.
Director : Paul Featherstone

Opera Blocks in Cambridge

Currently performing 3 weeks of  “Opera Blocks” workshops with English Pocket Opera Company in South Cambridge schools until December 5. More performances in December in Ealing & Haringey schools and in all Barnet primary schools in February 2015. Plans afoot to take it to schools in many more boroughs and counties next year as well as music festivals. It is a brilliant introduction to opera for children (and adults too!)

Feedback from last year’s tour of 55 Camden schools:
“Just want to record somewhere how utterly fantastic they were and how much the children enjoyed the experience. Even our Year 6 who announced before hand that “we hate opera” were converted! This was an exceptional visit. One member of staff commented that it was the best external visit she had ever seen.”
Rev. Simon Atkinson ǀ Headteacher ǀ Hampstead Parochial Primary, NW3
“A whistle-stop tour of what opera is, how it is put together and how to enjoy it. And we did enjoy it – enormously! Children and staff were united in having a huge amount of fun. We all enjoyed learning about Orpheus and Eurydice and were completely hooked when it came to improvising our own off-the-cuff opera: a really enjoyable session. Please come again.”
Nick Turpin ǀ Asst Headteacher ǀ St Patricks Catholic Primary, NW5 3AH