David Steadman and Melvyn Tarran This is a fabulous tome simply bursting with gossipy snippets and stories, fantastic photographs and a plethora of intriguing information, anecdotes and biographies of members of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. And it’s choc-a-bloc with some great recipes from these giants of G&S. But it is a cookbook like no other and with over 100…
Rachel Harland will direct this year’s Festival Youth Production of The Pirates of Penzance. Rachel is a classically trained soprano and has performed in Belgium, UK, Australia, USA and Canada as a recitalist and for opera companies including Opera Holland Park, Carl Rosa Opera, Royal Opera La Monnaie and The Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company. Rachel is creative director of her own singing workshops company…
STEPHEN TURNBULL, SECRETARY OF THE SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN SOCIETY, UNIFEST ADJUDICATOR AND FAVOURITE FESTIVAL FRINGE SPEAKER, TALKS ABOUT UNIFEST, THE FESTIVAL AND HIS LOVE OF SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN. Hello Stephen. We are delighted that you will be returning to adjudicate the UNIFest competition at the Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in Harrogate in August. This must be your fifth year…
Matthew Siveter is a member of the National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company and will be playing the parts of the Pirate King (The Pirates of Penzance) and Pish Tush (The Mikado) in 2019. Matt will also perform his one-man show – “Mr Matt Siveter Entertains” in Buxton on Friday 26 July and will be an entertainer on our G&S…
Emma Black is directing Pirates Revisited with the Opera North Youth Company – a show inspired by, and featuring music from, The Pirates of Penzance. We asked Emma to tell us what it’s been like working with a youth company and what Gilbert & Sullivan means to her. Tell us more about Pirates Revisited. What can the audience expect? Pirates…
The Savoy Company performed at the very first Festival in Buxton in 1994. Belinda Smith (Festival Chairman, Ian’s daughter) was working for the Festival at the time and welcomed the group and their President Tom Tyler to town…. A couple of years later Belinda and Tom were married and have lived at truly Gilbertian ‘happily ever after’ in Philadelphia with…
Find out just how the “lost” score for Thespis came to be recreated by Bruce Montgomery. Many people are unaware that Gilbert & Sullivan actually wrote 14 operettas – not thirteen! Thespis was their first collaboration and premiered at the London Gaiety in 1871. Sadly, Arthur Sullivan’s score for Thespis was lost, except for two of the show’s songs. We…
Just what does it take to bring a university group to the Festival to perform for the very first time? We caught up with Josip Martinčić from Royal Holloway University of London to find out why they are doing it and how they are getting along with their preparations. Could they be first time winners? Hello Josip. You have…
Philip Barton is a Trustee of the Friends of the G&S Festival and has been a regular visitor to the Festival in both Harrogate and Buxton for many years. He also performs in, and co-ordinates, the SavoyNet Performing Group’s production at the Festival each year. Philip, with his wife Kathryn, retired to Buxton in 2012 to be nearer to children…
Marie Lemaire, Opera North’s Youth Ensemble Manager, tells us about her career and how Opera North is inspiring the next generation of singers and musicians as she prepares for their first performance at the Gilbert Sullivan Festival in Harrogate Theatre on August 10th. Marie, we are delighted that Opera North’s Youth Ensemble will be performing at the Festival. Can you…