Opera

The opera course aims to introduce those who are new to singing and/or acting publicly to the fun of staging a performance, with easily accessible choruses as well as solo opportunities. The week’s opera sessions will, as in previous years, culminate in the performance of a short “production” in the final Thursday night concert. For the 2024 Summer School this will be a simplified version of Act One of Vaughan Williams’ opera Hugh the Drover. Described by the composer as a Ballad Opera, the story is set in a Cotswold village during the Napoleonic War.

The relevant sheet music will be made available for students to print off or photocopy.

More experienced and confident students are invited to ask to take part in additional, more challenging short cameo scenes, co-ordinated by the tutor, to be performed separately from the main opera as part of the student concerts during the week.

Students will need to have familiarised themselves with the relevant material before the start of the School and advance help and support will be given with this in the form of sound files and other resources.

The opera course takes place across both of the morning timetable sessions and is planned with the expectation that students will be free to attend both sessions, other than in exceptional circumstances by arrangement with the tutor.

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