Forthcoming events
The Company has been rehearsing a selection of well-known opera choruses and over 20 of the group’s soloists from various parts of Yorkshire and Humberside will be taking part in some or all of the concerts. These include Sopranos Sharon Nicholson Skeggs, Heather Watts and Hilary Dyson; Mezzos Becky Smith, Cathy Atkin and Rosy Jamieson; Tenors Karl Reiff and Hamish Brown; and Basses/Baritones Ian Thompson-Smith, Clive Goodhead and Steve Griffiths. Musical Director for all the concerts is Alasdair Jamieson and piano accompaniment will be by Tim Tozer and Kenneth Briggs. The Programme, which will vary from venue to venue will include items from Gilbert and Sullivan operas which have been performed by York Opera,arias and ensembles from Mozart operas and solos, ensembles and choruses from operas by Verdi, Puccini, Wagner and Bizet. All concerts will start at 7.30 pm, prices either £10 or £12 depending on the venue. As well as the above phone numbers, tickets and details for all the venues will be available from Richard Shouksmith 01904 490303. For more information about the programme and performers please go to the concert webpage. Iolanthe
Recent eventsThe Merry Wives of WindsorReview Some composers are unlucky to be known as one-work wonders. Otto Nicolai probably deserves it. The last of his five operas, The Merry Wives of Windsor, is the only one still in the repertory and a clever mix of German and Italian styles, something Wagner had already tried without success. In practice, that means an important role for the orchestra and some pretty, but tricky, vocal decoration for the principal ladies. York Opera’s new production, masterminded by Clive Marshall, is equal to both challenges. Derek Chivers, at the helm of the orchestra for the first time, keeps a steady momentum with authority, and the ladies – the merry wives – are pleasingly versatile. John Soper's tall moveable flats arrange neatly to make a housescape, a garden or the Garter Inn. For the all-important final scene, he conjures a modernistic, overarching trellis, lit by an outsize moon. Maggie Soper’s colourful costumes are Elizabethan, traditional for the ladies, amusingly effete for the would-be male lovers. Shakespeare’s story revolves around the comeuppance of Sir John Falstaff, the tubby, bibulous squire who imagines his charms irresistible to the fairer sex. Steve Griffiths is engagingly laid-back in the role, tripping spryly despite his “weight” and despatching his drinking song with basso relish. Tracey Bowen’s Mrs Ford gets things off to a lively start. She has unusually expressive eyes, and her facial expressions enhance her lithe soprano. She rivals Falstaff as the mainstay of the evening. Catherine Thornton’s shyer Mrs Page is slower out of the blocks, but peaks with her charming Act 3 ballad. As the newest of the wives – and latest recruit to the company – Harriet Pridmore’s Anne Page is a find. Every note of her taxing aria is delivered with conviction and assurance, the coloratura firmly in place, and she blends beautifully with Karl Reiff’s Fenton in their duet. Reiff’s own aria is notable for its smooth line and his upper range is fearless. Ian Thomson-Smith makes intelligent use of his baritone as the irascible Ford, whereas Ian Small’s Page is a little reserved by contrast. Clive Goodhead enjoys himself as Dr Caius – he could indulge even more of a French accent – and Hamish Brown’s camp Slender is right on target. The chorus really comes into its own in the last act, its opening number in particular nicely controlled. Though violins had not quite settled on opening night, orchestral zest is everywhere undeniable. Ordinary speech needs to be generally crisper. But these are mild reservations in a show brimming with tunefulness and humour. Review by Martin Dryer Reproduced by kind permission of Newsquest Media Group
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From April to June this year York Opera is presenting a series of concerts in various venues in and around York, Ryedale and Scarborough. They start off on Sunday 22nd April at the 
In November 2012 it's back to the Theatre Royal in York for a production of Registered charity 700279