TEAM Unlike most companies, Bampton does not have a permanent music director. We enjoy the challenge of working with a variety of conductors, both young and established. Some conductors are with us only for a single production, but we have given repeat invitations to several. An early appointment is also the répétiteur – this is the pianist who will play at most of the rehearsals, and perhaps substitutes for the conductor if absent. Répétiteurs coach the singers, for example on interpretation and diction, and make a significant contribution to musical quality and dramatic pacing. As we perform 18th century opera, there is usually the need for harpsichord accompaniment in the performances, especially in the recitatives – the sung dialogue passages which alternate with the orchestrally-accompanied arias and ensembles. Recitatives are accompanied only by harpsichord (and maybe also with cello). The music for them is often only a bass line of single notes, and a creative répétiteur needs to improvise harmonies and decorations around those, rather like a jazz musician. Although we have occasionally appointed an external stage director, nearly all our productions have been in the hands of Jeremy Gray. The director makes all the main decisions about the concept and mood of the production and its overall appearance. Jeremy usually designs the sets for his own productions, although he has enjoyed a rewarding collaboration with Nigel Hook for productions which have gone to the Buxton Festival, where more elaborate and large-scale sets are required.
Conductor Thomas Blunt in rehearsal (2021)
Conductor Anthony Kraus (2017)
Répétiteur Kelvin Lim (2006)
Répétiteur Hannah Quinn (2019)
Choreographer Karen Halliday (2014)
Choreographer Karen Halliday and Assistant Director Harvey Evans (2022)
Karen Halliday working with Sam Evans and Harriet Cameron (2022)
Stage manager Laura Alexander-Smith (2022)
Répétiteur Charlotte Forrest with Anna Starushkevych broadcasting live in BBC Radio 3 studio (2016)
Other important creative roles are usually an assistant director, perhaps a choreographer (who may be styled a ‘movement director’) and a stage manager and assistants.