I Have A Song To Sing

A NOTE FROM THE CHAIRMAN At the launch of her second book in 2001, our mother announced that it was the happiest day of her life. We know she would be equally delighted tonight!

Our mother’s infectious enthusiasm for theatre, and her devotion to the arts radiated to all those who knew her. We three sisters are thrilled that her stories, which we had heard again and again over the years, are now here for you to enjoy in print.

These pages bring to life so many of our mother’s memories - the early years in her beloved Scotland, her touring life as a star of the stage for The Royal Carl Rosa Opera Company and The D’Oyly Carte, to family life in her adopted home of Australia, where she and Daddy brought some of the world’s most famous stars and companies to audiences under the banner of J.C Williamson Ltd. We are so proud of her many achievements, and we hope you enjoy getting to know her humour, personality, and special way of telling a story, through this book.

Sincere thanks to Elisabeth Kumm - without her this book would not have been possible, and we remain eternally grateful to her. Thank you to our good friend Maestro Richard Bonynge for contributing the foreword, and to the amazing team from Theatre Heritage Australia who worked tirelessly to realise Mummy’s dream.

The Tait Memorial Trust, which was founded 26 years ago in London, was our mother’s inspiration. She was our first patron and I know she would be so proud to know how many young performing artists from Australia and New Zealand have been helped to date.

Thank you to tonight's wonderful artists - Tait Awardees Eliza Boom, Vivien Conacher, Grant Doyle, Brad Cooper and pianist Nico de Villiers for paying tribute to our mother with their performances. We also gratefully thank Katya and the team at the Royal Over-Seas League for hosting this special event, the estate of the Late Chevalier Richard Gunter for sponsoring the venue hire, and Peter and Leslie Mulloy of Carl Rosa Opera for providing a touch of history with tonight’s costume displays.

Isla Baring Chairman, The Tait Memorial Trust

PROGRAMME Beautiful Star Piano solo arrangement by Charles Grobe (1855) Gilbert & Sullivan I Have a Song to Sing Duet from The Yeomen of the Guard (1888) J. Strauss II Champagne Trio Die Fledermaus (1874) Gilbert & Sullivan Stay! Frederic, Stay!

Duet from The Pirates of Penzance (1879) Gilbert & Sullivan We're Called Gondolieri & Once More Gondolieri Duet & Chorus from The Gondoliers (1889) Gilbert & Sullivan The Sun Whose Rays Soprano solo from The Mikado (1885) Ivor Novello Waltz of My Heart Song from The Dancing Years (1939) Ivor Novello The Wings of Sleep Duet from The Dancing Years (1939) Ivor Novello We'll Gather Lilacs Duet from Perchance To Dream (1945) Franz Lehár Love Unspoken Duet from The Merry Widow (1905) J. Strauss II Bruderlein und Schwesterlein Ensemble from Die Fledermaus (1874) Ivor Novello I Can Give You the Starlight The Dancing Years (1939)

NOTES Tonight we celebrate the life of Viola Tait and launch her memoirs I Have a Song to Sing. Made possible by the support of the Tait Memorial Trust and Theatre Heritage Australia, this book provides a unique insight into the life of an amazing woman of the theatre.

Viola was passionate about the theatre. Passionate first as a singer, performing in Great Britain and Australia during the 1930s and 1940s, and then as a patron of the arts after her marriage to Frank Tait, the managing director of JC Williamson Ltd. Throughout her life she was fascinated by its history, wrote two earlier books, and amassed a prodigious collection of ephemera, including many items received from visiting performers who became life-long friends.

Having worked with Viola on the manuscript in the early 2000s, I am sure she would have been as thrilled as I am that her book has finally been published. It was a huge honour to have known Viola and I treasure her friendship as I do the ongoing friendships with her three incredible daughters.

I want to wish Isla and Vivien and everyone at the Tait Memorial Trust who helped organise this wonderful tribute to Viola, every best wish for a successful event.

Elisabeth Kumm Editor Viola Tait: I Have a Song To Sing

It has been a joy and a privilege to programme tonight's concert, in celebration of the UK Book Launch of I Have a Song to Sing. Although I did not meet Viola, Lady Tait in person, I feel that I have come to know her through exploring these wonderful memoirs. I can tell she was a woman of considerable strength and enthusiastic spirit, matched with a warm generosity and an unwavering devotion to the arts. Traits that live on through her daughters.

I am very grateful to Isla Baring for trusting me with this precious event. I do hope that in this evening's short concert, we are able to bring to life a sample of the music that your mother spoke about so fondly in her book.

I'd like to thank Elisabeth Kumm for her support, knowledge, and for sharing the image files that I have used in tonight's accompanying visual slideshow. Thank you also to my fellow performers for delving into this concert programme with such warmth - not all of these pieces are performed very frequently today, so I do want to acknowledge the time and energy you have put in to preparing them. Hopefully some of these songs can remain in your repertoire, so the tradition of 'light opera' as live art form can continue.

To the audience - I do hope you all enjoy this evening, thank you so much for coming along. If you haven't already, I do encourage you to read this book. We are truly lucky to have Viola, Lady Tait's stories recorded so lovingly in print, a little slice of theatre history to pass down to future generations.

Vivien Conacher Concert Programmer/Producer Tait Memorial Trust Awardee 2016

VIOLA TAIT (1911-2002) Viola Wilson (Née Viola Wilson Hogg) Born 1 November 1911, Pressburg, Austria-Hungary.

Daughter of Gavin Hogg and Violet Wilson, sister of Walter and Isla.

Married Frank Tait on 16 August 1941 in Melbourne, Australia. Mother of Isla, Ann, and Sally.

Died 6 February 2002, Melbourne, Australia.

PERFORMANCE TIMELINE Aged 19:

Studied singing at the Scottish National Academy of Music in Glasgow under Francis Harford.

1935-1937:

THE ROYAL CARL ROSA OPERA COMPANY After her first job in the chorus of Die Fledermaus in London, Viola joined the permanent company for tours across England, South Africa, USA and Australia performing roles including: Musetta La Bohème Micaëla Carmen Adèle Die Fledermaus Arsena The Gypsy Baron Kate Pinkerton Madame Butterfly Nedda Pagliacci The Page Rigoletto

1938-1939:

THE D'OYLY CARTE COMPANY Joined as a principal soprano, touring in English provinces and USA in roles including: Gianetta The Gondoliers Phyllis Iolanthe Yum-Yum The Mikado Patience Patience

1940-1942:

J.C WILLIAMSON LTD's GILBERT AND SULLIVAN OPERA COMPANY Toured Australia and New Zealand performing roles including: Gianetta The Gondoliers Casilda The Gondoliers Josephine HMS Pinafore Phyllis Iolanthe Lilli Veit Lilac Time Yum-Yum The Mikado Adele Nightbirds Patience Patience Mabel The Pirates of Penzance Princess Ida Princess Ida Rose Maybud Ruddigore Aline The Sorcerer Elsie Maynard The Yeoman of the Guard [Retired from the stage after marriage]

1946:

Brief comeback to play the lead in The Dancing Years for J.C Williamson Ltd.

BIOGRAPHIES ELIZA BOOM, soprano

New Zealand soprano Eliza Boom is currently training at the National Opera Studio, supported by the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation and the Frost Frank & Viola Tait Award from the Tait Memorial Trust. She is an alumna of the RNCM. Eliza has won many awards, including the Les Azuriales International Singing Competition, the Richard Bonynge Award at the JSRB Bel Canto Competition in Sydney.

Eliza’s roles include Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Mimì (La Bohème), Nella (Gianni Schicchi), Suor Angelica (Suor Angelica), Thérèse (Les Mamelles de Tirésias), Gertrude (Hänsel and Gretel), Noémie (Cendrillon), Micäela (Carmen), Norina (Don Pasquale), Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro), and Laetitia (The Old Maid and the Thief).

www.elizaboom.com VIVIEN CONACHER, mezzo-soprano

Sydney-born Vivien Conacher trained at the Royal College of Music (M.Perf with Distinction), ENO Opera Works, and the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme. She has performed for companies including Wexford Festival Opera, Pop Up Opera, Grange Park Opera and Iford Arts Festival. Upcoming engagements include a Tosti recital on 18 March, the title role in Carmen (Sherborne Abbey Festival), Dorabella Così Fan Tutte (Opera in Oborne), and Zerlina in Don Giovanni (Court Gardens Vineyard). Vivien juggles singing with a busy job as a professional Event Producer. She also runs a notfor-profit organisation called Songhaven - which staged 85 dementia-friendly music events last year, all featuring professional classically-trained artists in a relaxed and joyous atmosphere.

www.vivienconacher.com

BRAD COOPER, tenor

Australian tenor, Brad Cooper is a dynamic performer, excited to engage in Opera, Art Song & Kabarett.

In 2020 Brad dives into the world of Wagner, studying with Siegfried Jerusalem, understudying the title role in Lohengrin for Opera Australia, and performing the Shepherd in Tristan und Isolde for Opera Queensland. He also performs Florestan in Fidelio for Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg and revisits Handel’s Messiah for St Andrews Cathederal, Sydney. Career highlights include Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (Oper Köln, Opera Australia, ETO), Belmonte in Die Entführung (Oper Köln), Albert in Albert Herring (Opera Australia), Almaviva in Barbiere di Siviglia (Opera Holland Park) & Davey in Dove’s Siren Song (Grachtenfestival, Amsterdam).

www.bradcooper-tenor.com

BIOGRAPHIES GRANT DOYLE, baritone

Grant was born in Adelaide and moved to London 23 years ago to study at the Royal College of Music Opera School. He was an inaugural member of the Royal Opera House Young Artists’ Programme and has since performed as a principal baritone with ROH, Opera North, Scottish Opera, Opera Holland Park, Garsington Opera, Opera Queensland, State Opera of South Australia, Komische Oper Berlin, Teatro Real Madrid and Teatro dell’Opera Rome. As a concert soloist he has performed with the Royal Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, and the Hallé. Recent and future engagements include Vater in Coraline for Zurich Opera, Robert Iolanta for Opera Holland Park, title role Macbeth for English Touring Opera and Belfiore in Verdi’s Un Giorno di Regno for Garsington Opera.

www.grantdoyle.com

NICO DE VILLIERS, pianist

South African-born pianist Nico de Villiers holds degrees from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GSMD) in London. He performs internationally and recent appearances include the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C., Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Salzburg Mozarteum, and the Bonn Kammermusiksaal.

He was awarded a PhD in Music from the GSMD in 2018 for his research on the songs of Dutch-born American composer Richard Hageman (1881-1966). Nico is a coach on the vocal faculty of the GSMD.

www.nicodevilliers.com