Next year will mark Clonter’s 50th Anniversary, and we want to make sure it is the best year yet, but in order to make it to 50 we need your help. Any funding raised will help us be able to celebrate Clonter’s 50th Anniversary and continue to provide a nurturing and supportive place for emerging talent to flourish and entertain our audiences for generations to come.
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Spring Opera Showcase
Sat 13 May, 7pm
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“We are new to opera and appreciated every scene being explained to us. The presentation and singing by the artists was amazing and the whole show was so enjoyable.”
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“This was absolutely marvellous – could not have been better. We loved the performances and the introductions and repartee.”
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“The pianist was first class and the recitals were phenomenally good. The whole thing was capped off beautifully by the two chaps who introduced each piece.”
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“I thought it was splendid. A marvellous array of talented young singers, a challenging and delightful repertoire and masterly musical and stage direction. ”
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Audience Feedback 2022
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To carry on the party atmosphere, if you are partaking in the Coronation Celebrations, hot on its tail Clonter presents its annual Spring Opera Showcase, which offers a rich variety of semi-staged opera scenes and arias, set into context, to entertain opera novices of all ages and seasoned opera lovers in equal measure.
This year Clonter is delighted to welcome Director, William Relton for the first time, and to take part in yet another programme is Music Director, Philip Sunderland, Conductor of Clonter last two opera productions. They will be supported by répétiteur Satoshi Kubo.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, soprano Jane Burnell has had to withdraw from this year’s May Masterclasses & Spring Opera Showcase, but stepping heroically into the breach is Bethan Terry.
This year’s programme is proposed to include pieces from The Pearl Fishers, Carmen, Cendrillon, Hansel & Gretel, Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, and for those who like the lighter repertoire a good dollop of Sondeim and some Rodgers & Hart. As the emphasis is on the singer’s choice and what evolves during the week, this might be subject to change, but here now to wet your appetite.
Visitors to the Masterclass are able to follow a performance’s journey from the rehearsal to production, offering a more in-depth view, at an earlier stage in the week, of what goes into the workings behind a performance.
“My enjoyment (of the Spring Opera Showcase) was greatly enhanced by attendance of the Masterclasses in the days before, where we watched the singers being trained into dramatic ensembles by some of the best teachers in the world.”
Clonter’s former Chairman, Patrick Furlong
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Dominic Morgan – Tenor
Hailing from the heart of Sussex, Dominic is a versatile tenor with a passion for ambitious projects. He is currently studying at the RNCM with Paul Nilon with support from the Hargreaves & Bell fund. Some of his most recent stage appearances include Bill in Barber’s A Hand of Bridge and Dr Blind in Johan Strauss’s Fledermaus at the RNCM, chorus in British Youth Opera’s Sir John in Love, and Nemorino in Red Earth Opera’s L’Elizir d’Amore. In July he will be joining Buxton International Festival’s production of Bellini’s La Sonnambula in the chorus as one of their young artists. As a developing recitalist, Dominic has appeared in concert in London, Manchester, and in his local community in Mid-Sussex. In February his consort, I Trionfi, had their debut concert at the Whitworth Gallery, Manchester. Recent concerts include operatic arias with Buxton IF Young Artists in Derby, Mozart Coronation Mass and Solemn Vespers with the King Edwards Music Society, Warrington, and Chilcott Requiem with the Border Singers, Shropshire. Dominic is currently the tenor lay clerk at Blackburn Cathedral and has previously sung with a wide variety of ensembles including the Hallé and Bergan Philharmonic. He was previously taught by Theresa Goble. He completed his bachelor’s in music (hons) at Royal Holloway, graduating in June 2018 with a first.
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Tormey Woods – Baritone
Based in Avignon, British baritone Tormey Woods was a member of the Montpellier National Opera’s young artists scheme from 2014 to 2019. From 2019 to 2020, he studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with David Pollard and is currently part of the private studio of Jean-Paul Fouchécourt. Tormey’s operatic roles include Le Banc in Ravel’s l’Enfant et les Sortilege, Grabuge in Offenbach’s Genevieve de Brabant, Dr. Falke in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Il Re in Respighi’s La Bella dormente nel Bosco, Le Metayer in Honegger’s Les Aventures du Roi Pausole (all with the Montpellier National Opera), Figaro in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (Berlin Opera Academy) and most recently the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Saluzzo Opera Academy). In 2023, Tormey will be performing the roles of Hermann and Schlémil in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann as part of the Studio du Palais des Beaux-Arts in Charleroi. He has also performed with the British Youth Opera as chorus in Rossini’s La Cenerentola and with the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence as Un Sacrifié in the premiere of Jonathan Doves The Monster in the Maze. He returned to Aix-en-Provence as a young artist in their Académie du Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in 2019 and 2020. He has sung under the baton of esteemed conductors such as Sir. Simon Rattle, Peter Leonard, Peter Robinson, and Simon Halsey.
Bethan Terry – Soprano
Yorkshire soprano Bethan Terry is studying on the Guildhall Artist Masters programme in her second year under Professor Janice Chapman and Marie Vassiliou, with scholarship, having previously studied with Sophie Grimmer. Recent engagements include performing in a special BBC Immersion concert, lead by Alison Buchanan, broadcast on BBC Radio 3, as well as touring Mozart’s Così fan tutte with North Wales Opera Studio, performing the role of Fiordiligi. In March, she performed in a Lieder concert curated by Graham Johnson at Milton Court. In 2021, Bethan was a Waterperry Opera Festival Young Artist, performing in the chorus of Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love and in YA opera scenes. Bethan and her duo partner, Francesca Lauri, will perform a recital in Grosseto, Italy for the AGIMUS Festival, after a successful performance last year. She also looks forward to being a Leeds Lieder 2023 Young Artist, performing at the festival this June.
Isla MacEwan – Soprano
Isla MacEwan recently graduated with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music. An accomplished oratorio singer, Isla has sung as a soloist with the Manchester Camerata, BBC Concert Orchestra and has worked with acclaimed Baroque interpreters such as Philippe Herreweghe, Rachel Podger and Eamonn Dougan. On the opera stage, Isla has sung in the chorus of La bohème with Nevill Holt Opera, L’elisir d’amore with West Green House Opera as well as Parsifal with the Bergen Filharmoniske under Edward Gardner and Fidelio with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Sir Donald Runnicles. This September Isla will be starting a full-time chorus position at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen. In her spare time Isla enjoys reading, hiking and cooking.
Megan Baker – Mezzo-Soprano
Megan Baker is a British mezzo-soprano currently studying at the Alexander Gibson Opera Studio at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She is generously funded by the RCS, The Opera Awards Foundation and The Kochan Trust. Megan completed her undergraduate study in 2021 at the Royal College of Music in London, under the Douglas and Hilda Simmonds scholarship. She was previously a scholar at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music. 2019 saw Megan perform in the 6-person chorus, including solo lines, for Puccini’s La Bohème with Westminster Opera Company at the Chateau de Panloy, Port d’Envaux (France). Megan was proud to have been selected as a Young Artist with Nevill Holt Opera for their Summer Season 2021 taking part in the chorus of Verdi’s La Traviata. Megan’s first year at the RCS has included a workshop with director Keith Warner on the works of Stephen Sondheim, where she performed in scenes of A Little Night Music as the role of Desirée Armfeldt. She has also participated in a masterclasses led by Ann Murray DBE, Susan Bullock CBE, Josephine Barstow DBE, Christopher Purves and Louise Winter. Megan performed her role debut as Nancy in Britten’s Albert in the summer of 2022 with St Paul’s Opera, and that same year took on the lead role of Marylin Monroe in Gavin Bryars’ Marylin Forever with RCS Opera. January 2023 saw Megan as Aloès in a highly esteemed production of L’Étoile by Chabrier, and then Irina (Four Sisters – Elena Langer) in March 2023.
William Relton – Director
William made his stage debut as an actor in 1971. He worked extensively as an actor and singer until the early 90s. Highlights include Hamlet, Candide, West Side Story, many television plays and concerts on the radio, plus, more recently, a cameo role in “Slumdog Millionaire”. In 2013 he played the role of the Haushofmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos at Glyndebourne and in Frankfurt. In 1991 he started working with, and was the producer for, Music Theatre London, where he sang many of the lead tenor roles. In 1993 he directed his first production, Cosi fan tutte, for MTL and since then has focussed primarily on working as an opera director. As a director he has worked in many European countries as well as in Britain; major houses include Nice, Darmstadt, Copenhagen, Tallin, as well as ENO, Holland Park Opera, London Handel Festival, British Youth Opera, Dorset Opera and Co-Opera Co. He was recently Artistic Director at West Green House Opera in Hampshire. He has also directed and taught in most of the opera academies in Britain and Scandinavia. RCM, RAM, NO,S London, RWCMD, Cardiff, RCS Glasgow, also Opera Akademiet, Copenhagen, Operahögskolan, Stockholm, and KHIO, Oslo. In Sweden he has directed at Vadstena, Drottningholm, Göteborg, Läckö, Opera på Skäret, Confdencen and Piteå.
Philip Sunderland – Music Director
Philip was born in Norwich and educated at the Cathedral School. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and the National Opera Studio, Philip began his professional like as a repetiteur, working for all the major opera companies in the UK. This led to many conducting opportunities, first with English Touring Opera, for whom he conducted Marriage of Figaro, Cenerentola, Pearl Fishers, Daughter of the Regiment and Cosi fan tutte. In 1999, having worked as an assistant conductor at Opera North, Philip was appointed Chorus Master, a role he performed for five years. Whilst working for Opera North he conducted La traviata and the company’s acclaimed production of Sweeney Todd, as well as numerous concerts including the Brahms’ Requiem in York Minster. Philip has continued to conduct for ETO, winning an Olivier Award for Paul Bunyan in 2015 and returned the following year with Tales of Hoffman. He was music director to Swansea City Opera and W11 Opera for Young People and Chorus Master at the Bregenzer Festspiele. In 2014 he was commissioned by the Saffron Hall to write an opera for over 200 schoolchildren, professional singers and orchestra. The Glass Knight was first performed in the Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden in March 2015. Advent Calendar, a setting of biblical texts and a poem by Ronan Williams, was premiered in St Mary’s church, Saffron Walden in 2018. Philip is delighted to return to Clonter Opera, having conducted Rigoletto in 2009, a particularly exciting time as his son was born prematurely during the final stage and orchestra rehearsals! Philip is currently Head of Preparatory and Vocal Faculty Opera at the Royal Academy of Music, for whom he conducted Cunning Little Vixen in 2019.
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Satoshi Kubo – Répétiteur
Japanese-born pianist Satoshi Kubo began his initial training in Oita, Japan. He is a distinguished graduate of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris, studying with Itamar Golan, Jeff Cohen and Roger Muraro. He also discovered a passion for chamber music at the Festival Pablo Casals in Prades, where he worked as official class accompanist of its International Academy for several years. Kubo has been awarded numerous prizes, including the Prix de Duo Chant-Piano and the Rainier III de Monaco at the 6th Concours International de Chant-Piano Nadia et Lili Boulanger along with soprano Raquel Camarinha; and the Grand Prix at the Forum Musical International de Normandie, along with cellist Hee-Young Lim. Now based in London, Kubo works as a freelance pianist and opera répétiteur. He was a 2017-18 Young Artist at the National Opera Studio in London, generously supported by the Nomura Foundation during that time. He regularly collaborates with singers and works internationally for major and independent opera companies, including the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, the Royal Opera House, The Opera Story, and New Sussex Opera. Since 2018, he has worked as coach for the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, Royal Opera House. His most recent work is researching the Takuboku songbook composed by Yasuji Kiyose, and the use of the Japanese language in art song performance.
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Ticket Pricing & Booking Information
Masterclass
Thurs 11 May
Tickets £5, FREE for Patrons, Friends & Students
Masterclass 2 – 3.30pm
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Spring Opera Showcase
Sat 13 May
Tickets £20, £26, £33, £38, FREE for 26-year-olds and under (ID may be required)
Group Discount (10% Discount) 10+
U3A Discount (10% Discount)
Doors Open 6pm
Performance Starts 7pm
Interval 70 minute supper interval; pre-order supper, or bring your own picnic
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Drink Arrangements – All drink consumed inside the premises must be purchased from the bar. These may be ordered in advance.
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N.B. Table booking facilities close a week before the performance date. Pre-order drinks facilities close at 4pm the day before a performance.
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Partnered with Tickets for Good – Click here for more info
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