Scottish Opera 2022/23 Season Brochure

Celebrating 60 years at 60 locations across Scotland. Guaranteed goosebumps.

A huge thank you to all our business sponsors and corporate members:

Thanks also to our corporate supporters: Cameron, Dunard Fund, Eusebi Deli, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and NorthLink Ferries.

Join us this season!

Welcome

Scottish Opera’s 60th Anniversary Season comes at an immensely exciting time for the Company. We are thrilled to bring you a diverse, dynamic season of live performances featuring repertoire staples, new works, and Company premieres.

Sir Thomas Allen’s production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni – its first revival since the 2013 premiere – heralds the Company’s 60th Birthday on 5 June 2022. Later in the summer, director Jack Furness’ fun, inventive outdoor promenade production of Bernstein’s Candide takes the Company into a third year of outdoor opera. Our autumn and winter operas are Scottish premieres: Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar directed by the Olivier Award-winning choreographer Deborah Colker and Puccini’s dramatic triptych Il trittico directed by Sir David McVicar. The season culminates in John Fulljames’ daring new update of Bizet’s Carmen, which offers a fresh perspective on this classic.

Concert works by Verdi and Massenet bring soaring melodies and high drama to cities across Scotland, and Scottish Opera Young Company premieres Rubble, an urgent, poignant, and uplifting new piece with lyrics by Johnny McKnight and music by Gareth Williams.

Our small-scale performances travel to 60 locations across the length and breadth of Scotland, marking our 60th year with unflagging dedication to bringing opera to your doorstep. You’ll also find information on our Education & Outreach programmes, which work with everyone from infants and school pupils to those living with long Covid and dementia.

As ever, we extend our continual and heartfelt thanks to everyone who makes our work possible – the Scottish Government; our supporters as part of The Alexander Gibson Circle, Education Angels, Friends of Scottish Opera, Emerging Artist Benefactors, and New Commissions Circle; and our treasured audiences. In our 60th year we are delighted to continue the legacy of musical excellence, high-quality entertainment, and opera for everyone in Scotland as established by Sir Alexander Gibson in 1962. We hope that you find much to enjoy and we look forward to welcoming you soon.

Alex Reedijk Stuart Stratford General Director Music Director

Don Giovanni

Mozart

Don Giovanni is one of the world’s most performed operas for good reason. Director Sir Thomas Allen – whose 2019 revival of The Magic Flute was a sell-out success – returns to direct his stunning production, with a special performance on 5 June marking Scottish Opera’s 60th Birthday.

In the backstreets of 17th-century Venice, hunting ground of the amorous, Don Giovanni waits. A mercurial rogue who flits from irresistible charm to brute violence in a heartbeat, he is the ultimate antihero – and he is about to suffer the ultimate reckoning.

Dark, atmospheric, and bursting with life, this is full-blooded opera at its best. Allen’s compelling production is the perfect partner to the drama in Mozart’s score. The exciting cast includes Roland Wood (Falstaff 2021) and name-to-watch Jonathan McGovern (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2022) sharing the title role. The three women who join forces against the Don are sung by Hye-Youn Lee (Nixon in China 2020), Kitty Whately (Hansel and Gretel On Screen 2021), and 2021-23 Emerging Artist Lea Shaw (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2022).

May – June 2022

Theatre Royal Glasgow

15 May 3pm, 18 • 21 May 7.15pm

23 • 25 June 7.15pm

Access Don Giovanni 24 June 3pm

Eden Court, Inverness

24 • 26 • 28 May 7.15pm

Access Don Giovanni 27 May 3pm

Festival Theatre Edinburgh

5 June 3pm, 7 • 9 • 11 June 7.15pm

Access Don Giovanni 10 June 3pm

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen 16 • 18 June 7.15pm

Access Don Giovanni 17 June 3pm

Running time approx. 3 hrs 20 mins Interval 20 mins

Sung in Italian with English supertitles

Conductors Stuart Stratford (15 May–25 June) & Derek Clark (16–18 June)

Director Sir Thomas Allen Designer Simon Higlett

Lighting Designer Mark Jonathan Choreographer Kally Lloyd-Jones

Don Giovanni Roland Wood (15 May–7 June) & Jonathan McGovern (9–25 June)

Leporello Zachary Altman Donna Anna Hye-Youn Lee Commendatore Keel Watson

Don Ottavio Pablo Bemsch

Donna Elvira Kitty Whately Zerlina Lea Shaw Masetto Emyr Wyn Jones

Revival of the 2013 production

Supported by The Scottish Opera Syndicate

Audio description available –see page 15

‘This Don makes you an offer that is not to be refused’

Bernstein Candide

We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good, we’ll do the best we know. We’ll build our house and chop our wood, and make our garden grow.

Poor Candide. The world should be at his bright young fingertips, but as a man of no name or rank he finds himself cast away from his home and the woman that he loves. As he is tossed through Europe and South America by escalating and exaggerated misfortune, he and his companions must unlearn the cosy optimism of their youth, discovering hope and resilience are better companions in uncertainty.

Scottish Opera was instrumental in the rebirth of Leonard Bernstein’s satirical opera in the 1980s. Now, Candide returns for the Company’s third year of outdoor performances in the heart of Glasgow. This large-scale, innovative production sweeps audiences along with the action and features an 80-strong community chorus in partnership with Maryhill Integration Network, an organisation bringing migrants, asylum seekers, and settled inhabitants of Glasgow together through art. While timeless, this production reflects the specific challenges of capitalism and globalisation in today’s world, celebrating all of life’s beautiful, messy stories along the way.

Director Jack Furness and designer Tim Meacock find constant energy, surreal comedy, and joyful subversion in Candide’s adventures. William Morgan (The Gondoliers 2021) plays the idealist Candide, with Paula Sides as his beloved Cunegonde. The ensemble cast includes Susan Bullock (Breaking the Waves 2019), Ronald Samm (Pagliacci 2018), and Jamie MacDougall (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2022). Bernstein’s brilliant score gives The Orchestra of Scottish Opera a particular chance to shine.

August 2022

New Rotterdam Wharf

Scottish Opera Production Studios 40 Edington Street, Glasgow G4 9RD 11 • 13 • 14 • 16 • 18 • 20 August 6pm

Running time approx. 3 hrs Interval 20 mins Sung in English

Audio description available –see page 15

Supported by Friends of Scottish Opera, Scottish Opera’s Education Angels and The Scottish Opera Endowment Trust

THE FOUNTAIN OF TEARS

Ainadamar

Osvaldo Golijov

‘This 80-minute piece of music theater is a quiet spellbinder, an astonishing demonstration of how an opera can sound completely contemporary yet still convey its message in very potent lyrical song.’

Peter G. Davis, New York Magazine

In his critically acclaimed opera, Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov creates a vibrant, poetic sound world combining opera with flamenco dance and song. Ainadamar (the Spanish pronunciation of the Arabic name ‘Ayn al-Dam’, meaning ‘The Fountain of Tears’) brilliantly reimagines and explores the life and works of Federico García Lorca – playwright and poet – whose anti-fascist stance and open homosexuality led to his death in 1936 at the hands of Franco’s Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War.

Love, loss, and death – opera’s favourite subjects – emerge through the memories of Margarita Xirgu (Lauren Fagan), muse and friend of Lorca (Samantha Hankey). As Margarita tells their story to her student Nuria (Julieth Lozano), Ainadamar becomes a modern passion play, looking ahead to Lorca’s legacy as an artistic martyr as well as reflecting on his life and works.

Olivier Award-winning choreographer and director Deborah Colker, known for her intensely physical dance work including with Cirque du Soleil, the 2016 Olympics Opening Ceremony, and her own Companhia de Dança, makes her hotly anticipated opera directorial debut. The new co-production continues Scottish Opera’s successful partnership with Opera Ventures (Breaking the Waves 2019, Greek 2017). Timely and relevant, Ainadamar promises to be the Scottish premiere everyone will be talking about.

October – November

2022 Theatre Royal Glasgow 29 October 7.15pm

2 • 5 November 7.15pm

Festival Theatre Edinburgh 8 • 10 • 12 November 7.15pm

Running time approx. 1 hr 20 mins No interval Sung in Spanish with English supertitles

Supported by Scottish Opera’s New Commissions Circle and Sarah and Howard Solomon Foundation

World-renowned director Sir David McVicar returns to Scottish Opera with Puccini’s epic triptych – a first both for him and the Company. A trio of one-act operas of love and loss, Il trittico runs the gamut from high drama and heartbreaking tragedy to devilish black comedy and farce. Il tabarro (The Cloak) sees a wife trapped in a marriage she yearns to escape, Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica) an outsider forced into a life for which she has no vocation, and Gianni Schicchi a dysfunctional family caught in the snare of a shameless conman…

Puccini’s scores, including the favourite ‘O mio babbino caro’ in Gianni Schicchi, each boast their own vivid sound world yet all three operas fit together into a truly satisfying whole. Music Director Stuart Stratford conducts a world-class ensemble cast that features Roland Wood (Falstaff 2021 and Tosca 2019), Sinéad Campbell-Wallace (The Puccini Collection 2021 and Tosca 2019), and Aled Hall (Falstaff 2021 and Tosca 2019) alongside Elgan Llŷr Thomas (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2022), Francesca Chiejina, and internationally acclaimed Scottish mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill (Bluebeard’s Castle 2017).

With an earlier start time and a long second interval for dinner and drinks, Il trittico promises an opera event like no other and a rare chance to hear all three operas in one night as Puccini intended.

Supported by Dunard Fund, The Alexander Gibson Circle, Scottish Opera’s

A Supporting Role’ Appeal and The Scottish Opera Endowment Trust

Bizet Carmen

Georges Bizet’s classic opera of jealousy, lust, and life outside the dictates of society gets a boldly updated new production to conclude Scottish Opera’s 60th Season. With such hit melodies as the Habanera, Flower Aria, and Toreador Song – alongside Bizet’s magnificent orchestral interludes and rousing chorus numbers –the opera has musical riches for all.

But Carmen is not merely one show-stopping number after another. With director John Fulljames (Nixon in China 2020) at the helm and a design team led by Sarah Beaton and Christina Cunningham, Carmen’s iconic images are delivered amidst the unrest and upheavals of 1970s Spain, where the investigation into Carmen’s murder runs alongside the systems that led to her death. Carmen is the eternal outsider, carving out a life by her own rules in a militaristic and patriarchal society. The contrast of an often buoyant score and much crowd-driven action with the libretto’s introspective psychological darkness – here thrown into greater prominence in an English translation – makes Carmen an endlessly fascinating work.

May – June 2023

Theatre Royal Glasgow

12 • 16 • 18 • 20 May 7.15pm

14 May 3pm

Access Carmen 19 May 3pm

Eden Court, Inverness

23 • 25 • 27 May 7.15pm

Access Carmen 26 May 3pm

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

1 • 3 June 7.15pm

Access Carmen 2 June 3pm

Festival Theatre Edinburgh

9 • 13 • 15 • 17 June 7.15pm

11 June 3pm Access Carmen 16 June 3pm

Running time approx. 3 hrs Interval 20 mins

Sung in English with English supertitles

Translation by Christopher Cowell

Conductor Dane Lam

John Fulljames

Accessible performances

Want to know more? New to opera?

Looking for something more relaxed?

Take advantage of a range of added extras and accessible performances each season to make your opera experience even better.

Access Opera

If a full-length opera doesn’t feel like the right fit, our afternoon Access performances give you the flexibility and freedom to relax, move about as required, and have a fantastic time! With Dementia Friendly values at their core, these shorter performances are open to all, whether you’re recovering from an operation, have breathing difficulties, have a young baby, are on the autism spectrum, are anxious about coming back to the theatre post pandemic – or even have a very loud laugh! They are designed to make operagoing as easy and stress-free as possible. Our Access performances run alongside the full-length performances. Groups are welcome.

• Performances are shorter than the full-length versions and include the best-loved music

• A narrator guides you through the story, with The Orchestra of Scottish Opera and cast

• Doors open 45 minutes before the start –there’s lots of time to get settled in

• Wheelchair spaces and extra staff on hand

• Brighter lighting levels in the auditorium

• No need to keep quiet or sit still; you can come in and out of the auditorium during the show

• Lower capacity to allow everyone extra space

• Watch the live show on TV screens around the theatre if you need to

• Quiet areas available if you need to take a break

• Enjoy tea and cake at the café beforehand!

• Afternoon start times for easier travel

Tickets £10 – book online or call your local theatre. Please book wheelchair spaces in advance. Free tickets for school groups.

Access Don Giovanni

Inverness 27 May 3pm Edinburgh 10 June 3pm Aberdeen 17 June 3pm Glasgow 24 June 3pm

Access Il trittico – Gianni Schicchi

Glasgow 16 March 2023 3pm

Edinburgh 23 March 2023 3pm

Access Carmen

Glasgow 19 May 3pm

Inverness 26 May 3pm

Aberdeen 2 June 3pm Edinburgh 16 June 3pm

Running time approx. 2 hrs including one 30 minute interval

Audience member 2019

Pre-show talks

These half-hour sessions delve into the detail of each opera, enhancing your enjoyment and extending your knowledge of the piece. Tickets are free but should be reserved in advance. Limited availability.

Ainadamar

Glasgow 5 November 6pm Edinburgh 12 November 6pm

Il trittico Glasgow 18 March 2023 4.45pm Edinburgh 25 March 2023 4.45pm

Carmen Glasgow 20 May 6pm Inverness 27 May 6pm Aberdeen 3 June 6pm Edinburgh 17 June 6pm

Audio-described performances

For those who are visually impaired, this service provides live commentary during full-length performances, describing the action on stage without compromising the music. As part of the experience, a recorded introduction to the opera is provided in advance. At select performances there is a free Touch Tour of the set and a live audio introduction before the start of the performance.

Call your local box office to book, or book online. Discounts available. Guide dogs are welcome.

Don Giovanni (no Touch Tours)

Inverness 28 May 7.15pm Edinburgh 11 June 7.15pm Aberdeen 18 June 7.15pm Glasgow 25 June 7.15pm

Candide (no Touch Tours) Glasgow 20 August 6pm

Ainadamar (Touch Tours 6pm) Glasgow 5 November 7.15pm Edinburgh 12 November 7.15pm

Il trittico (Touch Tours 4.45pm) Glasgow 18 March 2023 6pm Edinburgh 25 March 2023 6pm

Carmen (Touch Tours 6pm)

Glasgow 20 May 7.15pm Inverness 27 May 7.15pm Aberdeen 3 June 7.15pm Edinburgh 17 June 7.15pm

‘I’m glad you felt able to do Tosca for people living with dementia... it went straight to [my partner’s] soul. He tried to applaud – the first time he’s tried to clap his hands for two or three years.’

Opera in Concert

Music Director Stuart Stratford curates Scottish Opera’s concert programme, introducing audiences to work he is passionate about. Thérèse, a heartwrenching work of French Romanticism, can be heard at St Mary’s Church in Haddington and Perth Concert Hall –giving audiences two brilliant and unique chances to experience Jules Massenet’s lush orchestration and dramatic love triangle. If you have not yet experienced the stunning acoustics of Perth Concert Hall, Thérèse provides the perfect opportunity.

On the Italian side, The Verdi Collection celebrates some of the operatic canon’s best known and loved melodies and stories, travelling to Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.

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‘the sound was quite simply magnificent, with an opulent bass and crystalline woodwind, beautifully directed by Stuart Stratford’ The Arts Desk on The Miserly Knight & Mavra concert 2022

Massenet Thérèse

Jules Massenet’s sumptuous opera sits against the backdrop of the French Revolution and Robespierre’s infamous Reign of Terror. Massenet’s soaring, sweeping melodic lines heighten emotions that are, despite the melodrama of the setting, rooted in the complications of very human relationships. Thérèse finds herself at a crossroad. She is caught between her husband, a revolutionary representative, and her former lover, a deposed nobleman and her husband’s close friend. As the three are drawn inextricably together, revolutionary fervour rises, and Thérèse’s affairs of the heart become matters of life and death.

September 2022

Lammermuir Festival

St Mary’s Church, Haddington 8 September 7.30pm

Perth Concert Hall 10 September 7.30pm

Running time approx. 1 hr 30 mins Interval 20 mins

Sung in French with English supertitles

Supported by Friends of Scottish Opera and The Scottish Opera Endowment Trust

Opera in Concert

The Verdi Collection

Presented as a gala concert to capture the breadth of Verdi’s output, led by the power and passion of The Orchestra of Scottish Opera under the baton of Stuart Stratford, The Verdi Collection features the romance of La traviata, the intrigue of Un ballo in maschera, the passion of La forza del destino, the stately tragedy of Don Carlo, and the domestic tragedy of Otello. Giuseppe Verdi’s prolific output was marked by many styles, themes, and stories in a career that spanned over 50 years. At the heart of all are instantly recognisable characters (noble heroes and dastardly villains alike), nuanced relationships between lovers and families, and melodies that transcend time.

Scottish Opera is delighted to present a selection of Italian opera’s greatest hits with a small cast of singers bringing numerous roles to life in a single evening, guaranteeing a great night out.

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November 2022 –

February 2023

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

19 November, 7.30pm

Eden Court, Inverness 26 November, 7.30pm

City Halls, Glasgow 10 February 2023, 7.30pm

Usher Hall, Edinburgh 11 February, 7.30pm

Running time approx. 2 hrs Interval 20 mins Sung in Italian with English supertitles

‘all the drama, intensity and passion were captured to the full’

The

Dundee Courier on The Puccini Collection 2021

Conductor Stuart Stratford

‘The real fire came from the pit… This tour de force orchestral sound was the best Verdi playing I’ve heard at this address in years.’

The Times on Rigoletto 2018

60 locations for 60 years

Guaranteeing goosebumps across the length and breadth of Scotland with one-of-a-kind performances.

Touring remains core to Scottish Opera’s mission, ensuring communities everywhere can experience live opera on their doorstep.

With its fast-paced shows for all ages as well as its colourful, mobile outdoor set, Pop-up Opera was a crucial part of Scottish Opera’s presence during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, as live performances in theatres were coming back, Pop-up performed 197 shows to over 11,000 people across Scotland – a vital link to keep live performances going in outdoor, socially distanced, safe conditions. In 2022, the tours return with the same gusto. Come rain or shine, the show will go on!

Opera Highlights went online in 2020 and returned to live performance in the 2021/22 Season. This year, two full tours will cross Scotland, bringing an original piece of theatre to towns from the Borders to the Islands, telling a new story with familiar songs.

For Scottish Opera’s youngest audiences, the Company’s original BambinO makes a warmly anticipated return, while the annual Primary Schools Tour reaches over 9,000 school pupils nationwide. For more information on the Primary Schools Tour, see page 38.

Opera Highlights audience member in Craignish, Spring 2022

‘…the privilege of experiencing such international quality talent in a very intimate location was fantastic.’

Opera on your doorstep

Opera Highlights 2022/23

A troupe of talented singers, including Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artists, traverse Scotland to bring an original piano-accompanied production to local venues. This vibrant, one-of-a-kind show is created specifically for Scottish Opera each season. This year, director Emma Jenkins brings verve and creativity to a very special tour. With music meticulously curated by Scottish Opera’s Head of Music Derek Clark, Opera Highlights combines repertoire favourites with lesser-known pieces. You will not find such a treasure trove of opera anywhere else!

Music Director/Pianist Kristina Yorgova (Autumn)

Director Emma Jenkins Designer Janis Hart Autumn 2022 tour performers Zoe Drummond, Shakira Tsindos, Osian Wyn Bowen, Christopher Nairne Spring 2023 tour performers Holly Teague, Annie Reilly, Andrew Henley, Colin Murray Running time approx. 2 hrs

Autumn Tour 22 September – 29 October 2022

Touring to Dundee, Markinch, Fraserburgh, Forres, Banchory, Cullivoe, Lerwick, Linlithgow, Town Yetholm, Stranraer, Castle Douglas, Dunlop, Gartmore, Biggar, Glenuig, Gairloch and Durness. On sale Summer 2022

Spring Tour 14 February – 25 March 2023

Touring to East Kilbride, Crail, Garvald, Perth, Stonehaven, Boat of Garten, Invergarry, Wick, Kirkwall, Ullapool, Torridon, Isle of Skye, Oban, Campbeltown, Bowmore, Gretna, Hawick and Ayr. On sale Winter 2022

Supported by Friends of Scottish Opera

Audience member, Spring 2022

Pop-up Opera 2022

Experience opera on a miniature scale with open-air performances brought to life by a storyteller, two singers, instrumentalists, and a sumptuous set of specially created illustrations. A Little Bit of Barber and A Little Bit of Figaro are two cleverly rewritten versions of Rossini’s and Mozart’s classics, following the adventures of the mischievous barber Figaro. Be A Sport, Spike! is a Scottish Opera original for ages 4-8 following mega-sportsman Mike ‘The Spike’ McTavish as he learns how to sing.

A Little Bit of Barber Rossini arr. Derek Clark

A Little Bit of Figaro Mozart arr. Derek Clark Be a Sport, Spike! Music by Karen MacIver

Words by Ross Stenhouse

Storyteller Allan Dunn

Sopranos Sarah Power/Jessica Leary

Baritone Andrew McTaggart

Cello Andrew Drummond Huggan

Guitar Sasha Savaloni

Running time approx. 30mins

Summer Tour 1 June – 10 July 2022

Touring to Glamis, Dundee, Glasgow, Mugdock, Aberdeen, Ellon, Stonehaven, Inverness, Strathpeffer, Coatbridge, Greenock, Bragar, Carradale, Rothesay, Dumfries, Musselburgh, Bearsden, Stirling, Perth and Edinburgh Park.

Supported by Friends of Scottish Opera

‘The stars shone last night in Midmar to the delight of an audience too long deprived of “live” theatre – thanks for making the reopening of the village hall such a memorable event.’

BambinO

BambinO is back! This five-star, sell-out co-production between Scottish Opera, Manchester International Festival, and Improbable has been entertaining babies around the world since 2017. A magical piece of music theatre for infants up to 12 months, BambinO is aimed at an audience that does not often get a look-in at opera… but whose minds are wide open to new sounds and experiences. BambinO is set in a captivating world of bright colours, fluffy clouds, and quirky characters. It tells the story of a young bird leaving its nest for the first time. Gentle, playful, and engaging, BambinO is written by Scottish composer Lliam Paterson, with original direction by Improbable’s Phelim McDermott. Don’t miss your chance to experience this unique celebration of the power of music and the infant imagination.

Music Director Chris Gray Original Director Phelim McDermott Revival Director Lissa Lorenzo Designers Giuseppe Belli & Emma Belli

Uccellina Charlotte Hoather Pulcino Sam Pantcheff Cello Andrew Drummond Huggan Percussion Darren Gallacher Running time approx. 45 mins

2022 Tour August – September

Touring to East Kilbride, Perth, Inverness, Banchory, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Motherwell and more. Visit scottishopera.org.uk for up-to-date venues and timings.

Supported by Scottish Opera’s Education Angels and New Commissions Circle

‘For imagination and enchantment, this enterprise deserves every rosette going!’

In its 60th Anniversary Season, Scottish Opera celebrates with five new mainstage productions, two operas in concert, and tours across Scotland. It would not be possible without the generosity of individual supporters. The Alexander Gibson Circle supports one new production a season, the New Commissions Circle brings new opera to life, the Dame Janet Baker Circle offers the option to leave legacies in Wills, Education Angels support the Company’s groundbreaking Education work, and the generous gifts of Friends ensure continued and ongoing opera making in Scotland.

There are options to give at many levels this season, including as part of the Alexander Gibson Circle’s 60th Anniversary Appeal which will help fund a new production of Puccini’s Il trittico –a Company premiere directed by Sir David McVicar.

It has never been easier to give online. To find out more about supporting Scottish Opera or donate directly via our new online donation portal, visit scottishopera.org.uk/support-us

You can also speak to a member of the Fundraising team by phoning 0141 242 0594 or emailing supportus@scottishopera.org.uk

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, supported by The Alexander Gibson Circle

Music Gareth Williams Words Johnny McKnight

Rubble

Fae this rubble, we finally dared to dream that the sins fae this hoose might finally be wiped clean.

A group of young people stand amongst the debris of Findenterran Farm, until recently a children’s care home for those abandoned and forgotten in a broken system. As they pick through the shattered fragments of their childhood, they speak of what really went on in that largely ignored property on the outskirts of town. Bold, moving and only too close to real life events, Rubble gives a voice to those who were ignored and overlooked by society while their youth was quietly stolen from them by those in unchecked power. And from the rubble, the healing can now begin…

Directed by Roxana Haines, this new piece from acclaimed composer Gareth Williams with text by Scottish theatre legend Johnny McKnight was commissioned for Scottish Opera Education’s 50th Anniversary. Members of Scottish Opera Young Company are joined by soprano Shuna Scott Sendall (The Tsar Has His Photograph Taken 2021), to tell this searingly honest, at times darkly comedic story. The cast and creative team have worked with ARTiculate Art Therapy to bring this world safely to life.

Content note: This production deals with themes of child abuse and child sexual assault within the care system.

Age recommendation: 14+

Audience member, The Tsar Has His Photograph Taken

July 2022

Scottish Opera

39 Elmbank Crescent, Glasgow G2 4PT 30 • 31 July 2pm & 7pm

Running time approx. 1hr 10 mins No interval Sung in English

Conductor Chris Gray

Director Roxana Haines

Set Designer Karen Tennent

Costume Designer Jessica Brettle

Lighting Designer Emma Jones

Associate Director Emily Thomson

JOIN THE COMPANY

If you are, or if you know, a budding singer or opera maker, go to scottishopera.org.uk for more information on how to join the Scottish Opera Young Company.

Supported by Scottish Opera’s Education Angels and Scottish Opera’s New Commissions Circle

‘What a crazy vibrant experience! It was a real treat to see everyone performing so enthusiastically and the design was a triumph!’

New talent

Scottish Opera has a long history of nurturing talent, from performers and composers to backstage artisans. This season features several ways to enjoy opera’s up-and-coming stars, including performances by Scottish Opera Young Company and our Emerging Artists.

Scottish Opera Young Company

Scottish Opera Young Company gives aspiring singers between the ages of 17 and 21 a unique and practical introduction to opera. Rehearsing throughout the year under the guidance of Artistic Director Chris Gray, Young Company members work with a range of professionals – including directors, choreographers, conductors, and vocal coaches – to hone their skills, culminating in their own production.

For those a few years away from the Young Company, SOYC Gateway is the perfect first step for ages 14 to 18 who want to explore opera making.

For more information on how to join, visit scottishopera.org.uk

Emerging Artists

The Emerging Artists programme gives young artists the opportunity of a lifetime – a period of full-time work with the Company to help them launch their careers. Our 2022/23 artists are:

Soprano Zoe Drummond

Mezzo-soprano Lea Shaw

Tenor Osian Wyn Bowen

Baritone Colin Murray

Repetiteur Kristina Yorgova

Emerging Artists are involved in productions throughout the season and also perform in three recitals during the year (dates subject to change):

Education & Outreach –the next 50 years

Scottish Opera’s groundbreaking Education and Outreach programme was the first of its kind in Europe when it began in 1971.

As Scottish Opera’s Education & Outreach programme engages with people in every corner of Scotland and beyond, the central ethos has always upheld meaningful and transformative experiences for all no matter age, background, or ability. These inclusive programmes – including the renowned Primary Schools Tour which has engaged over 500,000 children from across all 32 Local Authority areas – reinvent opera as a lifelong tool for exploration, connection, and creation. Other programmes support those living with dementia, introduce babies to opera, engage older pupils in performance analysis, and improve the lives of people living with long Covid through group singing exercises.

After a successful 50th year of Education in 2021 that saw a pivot to online projects, Scottish Opera returns to school tours as well as growing its digital portfolio, reaching more children than ever. Our online programmes have been accessed by students in the UK, Chicago, Dubai, Copenhagen, Paris, Los Angeles, Beijing, Brisbane, and beyond. Our films of Mister MacNeep Has Lost His Sheep and Meet the Brassketeers (both pictured) are available to watch on our website.

Education & Outreach has been trailblazing from the start and anticipates another 50 years and more of connection, exploration, and enrichment!

‘...it’s the combination of passion and sheer joy for sharing stories through music that will continue to drive us.’

Jane Davidson MBE, Scottish Opera’s Director of Education & Outreach

Supporting communities Breath

Cycle

Building on a project first developed with cystic fibrosis patients in 2013, Scottish Opera’s groundbreaking online project, developed with support from key NHS consultants, is designed to benefit those suffering from a range of conditions affecting lung health – in particular long Covid.

Memory Spinners

Scottish Opera’s Memory Spinners programme uses music, storytelling, movement, and visual arts to help people with dementia and their carers relax, get creative, and form new support networks. Throughout each 8-week term, they share memories that are then incorporated into a relaxed performance for friends and family.

All spaces are free – to find out how to join our Glasgow group, call 0141 332 9559

Supported by The R S Macdonald Charitable Trust, Life Changes Trust, Sylvia Aitken Charitable Trust, Bellahouston Bequest Fund, RKT Harris Trust, J Macdonald Menzies Charitable Trust, Trades House of Glasgow (Commonwealth Fund) and Scottish Opera’s Education Angels

Each 10-week block of relaxed weekly singing sessions, led by a team of musicians, introduces participants to fun, stimulating vocal exercises and breathing techniques. They also learn a range of songs chosen to help strengthen core muscles, develop breath control, and improve posture. All sessions are on Zoom and can be attended comfortably and safely from one’s own home.

Participants can also sign up for a series of six weekly songwriting workshops, which run alongside the Breath Cycle blocks. Led by composer Gareth Williams and performance poet Martin O’Connor, these sessions are aimed at giving participants tools to get songs on paper and into the world. Songs inspired by these workshops will be arranged and recorded by Scottish Opera to create a free digital resource for individuals and singing groups worldwide as a positive musical legacy of the past two years.

The Covid Composer’s Songbook will launch later in 2022. As a preview, visit Scottish Opera’s website to listen to a selection of these songs.

October 2022 | Registration opens September January 2023 | Registration opens December April 2023 | Registration opens March 2023

Visit scottishopera.org.uk for more information and to take advantage of free resources.

Supported by Cruach Trust, The Murdoch Forrest Charitable Trust, W M Mann Foundation, Souter Charitable Trust and Scottish Opera’s Education Angels

Sweet Sounds in Wild Places

Sweet Sounds in Wild Places, Scottish Opera’s 21/22 community project, worked with music, creative writing, film, and photography to empower those identifying as female who have been struggling with various life and work challenges during lockdown. The project helped build creative skills as well as increasing self-confidence and self-expression through engagement with the arts.

Inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s novel The Bride of Lammermoor, the workshops explored loneliness, isolation, and lack of empowerment as well as the impact, for good and bad, that landscape and environment can have on mental health and well-being.

After creative workshops in Autumn 2021 and Spring 2022, the participants’ original art will be on display throughout the 2022/23 season at venues in the Borders, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. Venues will be announced on the Scottish Opera website.

Supported by The Cruden Foundation and Scottish Opera’s Education Angels

Participant, Sweet Sounds in Wild Places

‘...it’s asked me to look at deeper aspects of myself… speaking about it in a group environment has actually been quite cathartic. And I think it’s got it out of me instead of being stuck in me.’

Opera in schools

Primary Schools Tour

Scottish Opera’s children’s operas make learning fun and creative. Pupils participate in a high-quality, day-long music and theatre workshop, culminating in a performance for parents and guests. Schools have the option to have highly trained facilitators and teaching artists come to work with the students, bringing a collection of specially designed costumes and props, or to work on their own with the Company’s resources.

This season’s shows are The Last Aliens and The Curse of the MacCabbra Opera House, both available as in-person and online resources to support a wide number of students and educators. Following on the success of Tiny Chef, The Water Rabbit is a brand new online resource which will be available to all Primary Confucius Classroom Hubs later in the year.

Secondary schools resources

Scottish Opera is pleased to expand its resources for school-aged children to reach secondary students, with a special series of resources designed around Gaetano Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore. Students will learn about music, history, drama, and storytelling as they analyse the classic comedy – including developing critical thinking skills using three differently staged interpretations of the opera.

To find out how you can work with Scottish Opera at your school, call the Education team on 0141 332 9559 or go to scottishopera.org.uk

Supported by Harbinson Charitable Trust, David & June Gordon Memorial Trust, Hayward Sanderson Trust and Scottish Opera’s Education Angels

Disney Musicals in Schools

Disney Musicals in Schools feature 30-minute adaptations of Disney stories written for primary school performers. Teaching artists from the Company guide pupils through music and movement and work with staff to give them experience in singing, directing, choreography, and stage management.

The programme targets schools with no previous engagement with the arts. It builds skills and confidence in pupils and teachers, encourages participation and collaboration, and leaves a sustainable arts legacy for years to come. Scottish Opera is Disney Musicals in Schools’ very first Scottish collaborator, running these 17-week programmes since 2019.

‘...the people were excellent and they helped us with the timing of our songs.’

A 9-year-old participant

Scottish Opera: On Screen

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Scottish Opera created eight opera and concert videos that remain free and publicly accessible. These include Opera Highlights Online, Samuel Bordoli’s The Narcissistic Fish, Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and Menotti’s The Telephone.

With more planned for future seasons, keep an eye on our social media and website for new video productions. All are available at scottishopera.org.uk

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The Times

The Herald

The Scotsman

The Stage

Bachtrack

G&S at home

Did you miss Scottish Opera’s Autumn 2021 production of The Gondoliers, or see it and wish you could see it again and again? This lively show, with more tra la las per minute than any other Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

G&S aficionados can also soon enjoy a Scottish Opera audio recording of Utopia, Limited – the lesser-known, penultimate work of the pair, but no less full of musical and satirical delights – to be released later in 2022. This recording will also include the rarely performed incidental music Arthur Sullivan wrote for King Arthur, an 1895 play by J. Comyns Carr.

Supported

A co-production with D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and State Opera South Australia

by Garfield Weston Culture Fund

Venue information

Opera Highlights, Pop-up Opera, BambinO & Candide

Please visit scottishopera.org.uk for booking details for each venue

Theatre Royal Glasgow 282 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 3QA 0333 009 6690 atgtickets.com

Festival Theatre Edinburgh 13-29 Nicholson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9FT 0131 529 6000 capitaltheatres.com

Eden Court, Inverness Bishops Road, Inverness IV3 5SA 01463 234 234 eden-court.co.uk

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen AB25 1GL 01224 641122 aberdeenperformingarts.com

Perth Concert Hall Mill Street, Perth PH1 5HZ 01738 621031 horsecross.co.uk

St Mary’s Church (Scottish Opera at Lammermuir Festival) Haddington EH41 4BZ 0131 226 0004 lammermuirfestival.co.uk

City Halls, Glasgow 100 Candleriggs, Glasgow G1 1NQ 0141 353 8000 glasgowconcerthalls.com/ city-halls

Usher Hall, Edinburgh Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH1 2EA 0131 228 1155 usherhall.co.uk

Performance diary 2022/23

Date Time Event Venue

Sunday 15 May 2022 3pm

Don Giovanni Theatre Royal Glasgow

Wednesday 18 May 7.15pm Don Giovanni Theatre Royal Glasgow

Saturday 21 May 7.15pm Don Giovanni Theatre Royal Glasgow

Tuesday 24 May 7.15pm Don Giovanni Eden Court, Inverness

Thursday 26 May 7.15pm Don Giovanni Eden Court, Inverness

Friday 27 May 3pm Access Don Giovanni Eden Court, Inverness

Saturday 28 May 7.15pm Don Giovanni (AD) Eden Court, Inverness

Friday 3 June various Pop-up Opera Glamis Castle

Saturday 4 June various Pop-up Opera Slessor Gardens, Dundee

Sunday 5 June various Pop-up Opera Slessor Gardens, Dundee

Sunday 5 June 3pm Don Giovanni (60th anniversary) Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Tuesday 7 June 7.15pm Don Giovanni Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Wednesday 8 June various Pop-up Opera House for an Art Lover, Bellahouston

Thursday 9 June various Pop-up Opera Mugdock Country Park

Thursday 9 June 7.15pm Don Giovanni Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Friday 10 June various Pop-up Opera Duthie Park, Aberdeen

Friday 10 June 3pm Access Don Giovanni Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Saturday 11 June various Pop-up Opera Haddo House, Ellon

Saturday 11 June 7.15pm Don Giovanni (AD) Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Sunday 12 June various Pop-up Opera Mackie Academy, Stonehaven

Wednesday 15 June various Pop-up Opera Eden Court, Inverness

Thursday 16 June various Pop-up Opera Strathpeffer Pavilion

Thursday 16 June 7.15pm Don Giovanni

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

Friday 17 June 3pm Access Don Giovanni His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

Saturday 18 June various Pop-up Opera Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life

Saturday 18 June 7.15pm Don Giovanni (AD)

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

Sunday 19 June various Pop-up Opera Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock

Wednesday 22 June various Pop-up Opera Grinneabhat Centre, Bragar

Thursday 23 June 7.15pm Don Giovanni Theatre Royal Glasgow

Friday 24 June 3pm Access Don Giovanni Theatre Royal Glasgow

Saturday 25 June various Pop-up Opera Carradale Village Hall

Saturday 25 June 7.15pm Don Giovanni (AD) Theatre Royal Glasgow

Sunday 26 June various Pop-up Opera Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute

Wednesday 29 June various Pop-up Opera Crichton Memorial Church, Dumfries

Thursday 30 June various Pop-up Opera Fisherrow Links, Musselburgh

Friday 1 July various Pop-up Opera Kilmardinny House Arts Centre, Bearsden

Saturday 2 July various Pop-up Opera Albert Halls, Stirling

Sunday 3 July various Pop-up Opera Albert Halls, Stirling

Friday 8 July various Pop-up Opera Perth Concert Hall Plaza

Saturday 9 July various Pop-up Opera Edinburgh Park Sunday 10 July various Pop-up Opera Edinburgh Park

Saturday 30 July 2pm & 7pm SOYC: Rubble Elmbank Crescent, Glasgow Sunday 31 July 2pm & 7pm SOYC: Rubble Elmbank Crescent, Glasgow

Thursday 11 August 6pm Candide

Scottish Opera Production Studios, Glasgow

Saturday 13 August 6pm Candide Scottish Opera Production Studios, Glasgow Sunday 14 August 6pm

Tuesday 16 August 6pm

Thursday 18 August 6pm

Saturday 20 August 6pm

Scottish Opera Production Studios, Glasgow

Scottish Opera Production Studios, Glasgow

Scottish Opera Production Studios, Glasgow

(AD) Scottish Opera Production Studios, Glasgow

St Mary’s Church, Haddington

Saturday 10 September 7.30pm Thérèse Perth Concert Hall

Marryat Hall, Dundee

Markinch Town Hall

Tuesday

Dalrymple Hall, Fraserburgh

Thursday 29 September 7.30pm Opera Highlights Forres Town Hall

The Barn, Banchory

Cullivoe Hall, Shetland Isles

Lerwick

Linlithgow Academy

Date Time Event Venue

Tuesday 11 October 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Thursday 13 October 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Saturday 15 October 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Wauchope Hall, Town Yetholm

Ryan Centre, Stranraer

The Fullerton, Castle Douglas

Tuesday 18 October 7.30pm Opera Highlights Village Hall, Dunlop

Thursday 20 October 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Saturday 22 October 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Village Hall, Gartmore

Municipal Hall, Biggar

Tuesday 25 October 7.30pm Opera Highlights Glenuig Hall

Thursday 27 October 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Gairloch Hall

Saturday 29 October 7.15pm Ainadamar Theatre Royal Glasgow

Saturday 29 October 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Village Hall, Durness

Wednesday 2 November 7.15pm Ainadamar Theatre Royal Glasgow

Saturday 5 November 7.15pm Ainadamar (AD, PST, TT) Theatre Royal Glasgow

Tuesday 8 November 7.15pm Ainadamar Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Thursday 10 November 7.15pm Ainadamar Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Saturday 12 November 7.15pm Ainadamar (AD, PST, TT) Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Saturday 19 November 7.30pm The Verdi Collection

Saturday 26 November 7.30pm The Verdi Collection

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

Eden Court, Inverness

Friday 10 February 2023 7.30pm The Verdi Collection City Halls, Glasgow

Saturday 11 February 7.30pm The Verdi Collection

Tuesday 14 February 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Village Theatre, East Kilbride

Thursday 16 February 7.30pm Opera Highlights Crail Community Hall

Saturday 18 February 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Tuesday 21 February 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Thursday 23 February 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Saturday 25 February 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Tuesday 28 February 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Garvald Village Hall

Perth Theatre Studio

Stonehaven Town Hall

Boat of Garten Village Hall

Glengarry Community Centre

Thursday 2 March 7.30pm Opera Highlights Lyth Arts, Wick

Saturday 4 March 7.30pm Opera Highlights

Orkney Theatre, Kirkwall

Tuesday 7 March 7.30pm Opera Highlights Macphail Centre, Ullapool

Thursday 9 March 7.30pm Opera Highlights Loch Torridon Community Centre

Saturday 11 March 6pm Il trittico Theatre Royal Glasgow

Saturday 11 March 7.30pm Opera Highlights Isle of Skye

Tuesday 14 March 7.30pm Opera Highlights Corran Halls, Oban

Wednesday 15 March 6pm Il trittico Theatre Royal Glasgow

Thursday 16 March 3pm Access Gianni Schicchi Theatre Royal Glasgow

Thursday 16 March 7.30pm Opera Highlights Victoria Hall, Campbeltown

Saturday 18 March 6pm Il trittico (AD, PST, TT) Theatre Royal Glasgow

Saturday 18 March 7.30pm Opera Highlights Bowmore Village Hall

Tuesday 21 March 7.30pm Opera Highlights Stormont Hall, Gretna

Wednesday 22 March 6pm Il trittico Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Thursday 23 March 3pm Access Gianni Schicchi Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Thursday 23 March 7.30pm Opera Highlights Tower Mill, Hawick

Saturday 25 March 6pm Il trittico (AD, PST, TT)

Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Saturday 25 March 7.30pm Opera Highlights Gaiety Theatre, Ayr

Friday 12 May 7.15pm Carmen Theatre Royal Glasgow

Sunday 14 May 3pm Carmen Theatre Royal Glasgow

Tuesday 16 May 7.15pm Carmen Theatre Royal Glasgow

Thursday 18 May 7.15pm Carmen Theatre Royal Glasgow

Friday 19 May 3pm Access Carmen Theatre Royal Glasgow

Saturday 20 May 7.15pm Carmen (AD, PST, TT) Theatre Royal Glasgow

Tuesday 23 May 7.15pm Carmen Eden Court, Inverness

Thursday 25 May 7.15pm Carmen Eden Court, Inverness

Friday 26 May 3pm Access Carmen Eden Court, Inverness

Saturday 27 May 7.15pm Carmen (AD, PST, TT) Eden Court, Inverness

Thursday 1 June 7.15pm Carmen His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

Friday 2 June 3pm Access Carmen His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

Saturday 3 June 7.15pm Carmen (AD, PST, TT) His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

Friday 9 June 7.15pm Carmen

Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Sunday 11 June 3pm Carmen Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Tuesday 13 June 7.15pm Carmen Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Thursday 15 June 7.15pm Carmen Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Friday 16 June 3pm Access Carmen Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Saturday 17 June 7.15pm Carmen (AD, PST, TT)

Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Join us this season!

Thank you

Special thanks to everyone who has helped to create this 2022/23 Season campaign including Costume for bringing the characters to life, notably the hair and makeup team for their exquisite attention to detail; Props for their unique stock of the weird and wonderful; Workshop for crafting photoshoot backdrops; Technical for keeping the team safe whilst working with pyrotechnics; Electrics for providing equipment; and Maintenance for helping with all the logistics.

Image credits

Season campaign photography by James Glossop

Other production photography by Fraser Band, Paul Campbell, Craig Fuller, James Glossop, Jane Hobson, Julie Howden, Sally Jubb and Richard Termine Stills from The Brassketeers animation by Jamie Macdonald Candide illustration by Michelle Thompson/Handsome Frank

Programme

All contents © Scottish Opera 2022. Compiled by Scottish Opera. All details are printed in good faith and are correct at the time of going to press. Scottish Opera reserves the right to change programme and cast details at any time. Visual material contained within the brochure is illustrative and does not necessarily relate to stage productions.

Environment

This brochure has been printed by J Thomson Colour Printers using Carbon Balanced Paper. As a result, this job has offset the equivalent of 685kg of carbon dioxide. This support will enable World Land Trust to protect 131m2 of critically threatened tropical forest.