Formed in 1995, Riverside Opera is a community-based grand opera company, providing opportunities for singers and instrumentalists, both professional and amateur, to gain valuable experience working with professional artistic staff.
We perform one major opera each year as well as producing opera concerts at other local venues. For each new production we welcome new singers to the chorus and to the world of grand opera, in addition to providing an opportunity to members, and others, to perform principal roles. Young musicians and singers also gain experience of performing in opera and in a professional theatre. Developing the skills of our members in a wide range of capacities, both on stage and behind the scenes, is an important aim.
Riverside Opera is a Community Partner working with Tiffin Performing ArtsCollege and all rehearsals are held at Tiffin School. Selected students from the school have had the opportunity to work with professional guidance, as singers, actors, instrumentalists and theatre technicians.
If you wish to be included on our general mailing list or seek any other information about the company please contact: information@riversideopera.co.uk
RIVERSIDE OPERA
President: Kathryn Harries
Kathryn is internationally renowned for the extraordinary breadth of her repertoire and for the dramatic intensity of her performances. She studied singing and piano at the Royal Academy of Music with Constance Shacklock and Flora Nielsen.
After leaving the Royal Academy, Kathryn Harries spent some years dividing her time between presenting the award-winning Television series `Music Time' (of which she recorded over 60 programmes and an associated LP) and a developing concert career. She made her Royal Festival Hall debut in 1977 since when she has been in considerable demand in repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to the 20th Century.
Kathryn is enormously supportive of Riverside Opera and often joins us in both rehearsal and performance.
Music Director : Timothy Burke
Timothy was born in Kingston upon Thames and was a Choral Scholar at HM Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palce. Educated at Hampton School where he studied the organ with Julie Ainscough, we won the Parry-Wood Organ Scholarship to Exeter College, Oxford, graduating with First Class Honours in Music. During his time as Organ Scholar he directed the chapel choir on tour to Florence, Salzburg and Vienna as well as on a recording of sacred music by Vierne, Fauré and Saint-Saëns.
He studied as a repetiteur at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (2004-5), where he was the Assistant Conductor for productions of Mignon and the British première of The Little Green Swallow (Jonathan Dove). He conducted a student company in the concert première of The Crocodile, a one-act opera by fellow student Llywelyn ap Myrddin. In addition to the Opera Course at the Guildhall, Timothy also studied composition for film, television and radio. He wrote the score for the award-winning short Le Cauchemar de l’homme blanc et noir, and is currently scoring the independent feature The Tragedy of Albert for Unreal City Productions.
As a trainee repetiteur at the National Opera Studio (2005-6), Timothy was the grateful recipient of the Sir Henry Richardson Scholarship administered by the Musicians Benevolent Fund and the Leonard Hancock Memorial Trust Bursary. His studies at the National Opera Studio were also supported by the Friends of Covent Garden. He went on to join the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme in September 2006. In the 2006/7 season, he was Assistant Conductor on Bird of Night and joined the Royal Opera music staff for Carme , Orlando, Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte.
Timothy was the founding Chorus Master of Oxford City Opera in their first production, La Bohème, and Assistant Conductor for Carmen at Riverside Opera, returning to work on Nabucco, and to conduct performances of Eugene Onegin. He is the new Music Director of Riverside Opera, and will be conducting Die Fledermaus in 2008, directed by Richard Gregson.
Future plans include joining the Royal Opera music staff on A Midsummer Night's Dream and Tosca next season
RIVERSIDE OPERA Committee
Chairman: Ronnie Ingram, Business Manager: Nick George, Finance Manager: Mike Sugrue
Administration Manager: David Payne, Secretary: Diana Payne
Committee Members: ,Anne Ingram, Hermann Maier, Sally Passingham, Pam Wardley
Music Director: Timothy Burke
Artistic Director: Richard Gregson
Anyone wishing to be considered for the roles of:
Production Director Set Designer Costume Designer Lighting Designer
We hold auditions each year for principal roles in our main productions. Initial enquiries should be directed to Sally Passingham, Auditions Secretary: auditions@riversideopera.co.uk
Next Production A fully staged production of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore will be performed at Epsom Playhouse 24-27 March in 2010. Once decided the audition date will be posted here and an advert will be placed 'Opera' Magazine.
Concerts The casting of principals for our concerts is by invitation.
