The arts are facing the most challenging time in a generation. If you love music, if you love Clonter, and if you are able to, please donate to protect Clonter’s future. Every little bit helps.
Albert Herring 1987
The last time Clonter presented Albert Herring in any shape or form was in 1987. It was a short excerpt from Act 1, presented as a double bill with Cosi Fan Tutte. Both with piano.
There is less than a week to go until the cast arrive to start rehearsals for Clonter’s first full production of Albert Herring, with full orchestration.
We very much hope you can join us for this historic moment in Clonter’s history – More Info
.
Cast List of 1987
Lady Billows – Bernadette Donnelly
Florence Pike – Louise Crane
Miss Wordsworth – Bernadette Lord
Mr Gedge – Robert Ursan
Mr Upfold – Nigel Roberts
Super Intendent Budd – Gordon Cowie
Sid – Richard Chew
Albert Herring – Andrew Wicks
Nancy – Verona James
Director – Patrick McGuigan
Piano – John Wilson
.
“I had just covered the role of Nancy in Glyndebourne, but didn’t get the chance to go on, so the opportunity to try it out in front of an audience was wonderful, especially as Wyn Davies was the orchestra of one. It was a fantastic experience. We were all treated as part of the Lockett family. I remember it with great fondness.”
Buddug Verona James
.
Described as “a Brancusi” in the New York Times, “a real showstopper” in the Guardian and “ravishing” in the Financial Times, the critically acclaimed Welsh mezzo soprano Buddug Verona James trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and National Opera Studio. In 1986 she won the Welsh Singers Competition.
Buddug has performed roles for Almeida Opera, Cleveland Opera (USA), Dutch National Opera, English Pocket Opera, English Touring Opera, Glyndebourne, Lanternhouse International, Opera Atelier (Canada), Opera Circus, Opera Holland Park, Opera North, Opera Northern Ireland, Opera Theatre Company (Dublin), Opera Players, Travelling Opera, Opera 80, Operavox Cartoons, Mid Wales Opera, Music Theatre Wales and Siobhan Davies Dance Company. She has premiered in operas by Gerald Barry, Jonathan Dove, Deirdre Gribbin, Julian Joseph, Wolfgang Rihm and John Woolrich. In 2020 she recorded the role of Ogwen in Opra Sebon: Golch dy ddwylo for OPRA Cymru. Buddug’s one-woman shows; Castradiva by Mark Ryan and A Knife at the Opera by Chris Harris have toured to Croatia, Ireland and numerous theatres and festivals in the UK including Edinburgh and Buxton.
Her concert performances include; Mozart’s Ch’io mi scordi di te with Jane Glover and the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra, the title role in Juditha Triumphans at the Vivaldi Festival, London, Matthäus Passion with Paul Steinitz, Johannes Passion with Thomas Dausgaard, Theodora for Paul McCreesh, Bach Cantatas with John Georgiadis and the London Virtuosi, Beethoven’s Mass in C with the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Elijah at the Royal National Eisteddfod with Owain Arwel Hughes, Messiahwith Lim Yau and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with Raymond Calcraft at Exeter Cathedral, Dvorak Mass at the Auditorio Nacional, Madrid and Falla’s El Amor Brujowith George Vass at the Presteigne Festival. In recital, she has performed with Benjamin Bayl, Raymond Calcraft, Dearbhla Collins, Martin Cousin, Wyn Davies, Jonathan Dove, Gretel Dowdeswell, Iwan Llywelyn Jones, Andrew Wilson-Dickson and Caradog Williams. Buddug has premiered works by Gerald Barry, Elfyn M Jones, James MacMillan, Pwyll ap Sion, Phyllis Tate, Andrew Wilson-Dickson and most recently a song cycle composed for her by the celebrated British composer Jonathan Dove.
Buddug’s recordings include; Thomas Chilcot songs with Andrew Wilson-Dickson and the Welsh Baroque Orchestra (Meridian), Arias by Handel and Gluck featured in Castradiva, The James Sisters sing Gospel, Caneuon y Werin/Songs of the People – Folk Songs from the British Isles and America arranged by Haydn, Howells, Tate, Wilson-Dickson, Pwyll ap Sion, James MacMillan and Jonathan Dove (Fflach), The Intelligence Park (Faranesi) by Gerald Barry (NMC Records).
She has also undertaken various acting roles for BBC, HTV, S4C, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, Torch Theatre and Theatr peña. Her most recent roles include Mrs Ogmore Pritchard in Kevin Allen’s film adaptation of Under Milk.
