Bedfordshire Youth Opera
The Magic Flute, 5 - 8 September 2007
An ancient curse, weird women, strange rites, dream girlfriends, a deadly serpent...
Dare to watch Bedfordshire Youth Opera in their foreboding production of Mozart's The Magic Flute, full of eerie affairs and mysterious events.
Read More about The Magic Flute...
Bedfordshire Youth Opera
The Bedfordshire Youth Opera (BYO) was formed by the Bedfordshire Education Service in 1980 to provide an organisation in which young singers and musicians could work together to produce operas and present them to the general public.
The first two productions - Purcell's DIDO AND AENEAS (1981) and a double bill of Telemann's PIMPINONE with Britten's THE LITTLE SWEEP (1982) - demonstrated the viability of young people presenting opera successfully.
Reports and photos from previous course are available;
The subsequent production - Gay's THE BEGGAR'S OPERA - provided the model for its successors: preliminary singing rehearsals from Spring to Midsummer, intensive production preparations and staging rehearsals in August, a residential course for all company members during the last week of the summer holidays and a series of technical and dress rehearsals culminating in up to six performances at the Bowen-West Community Theatre, Lansdowne Road, Bedford in mid-September.
BYO has attempted to present a wide and varied repertoire, as some of its more recent productions - Handel's SEMELE (2002), Mozart's THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO (1992), Bizet's CARMEN (1993), Offenbach's ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD (1994) and FIGARO'S WEDDING (1997) - demonstrate. 1999 saw a production of Smetana's THE BARTERED BRIDE.
The company has found a loyal and supportive audience and hopes to continue to develop the range and quality of its work.
A typical rehearsal schedule reads as follows:
- February: Casting confirmation
- Easter: Principal singers' music rehearsals
- Summer Term: Chorus rehearsals (Sundays, usually in July) Principals' rehearsals (by arrangement with Musical Director and Vocal Coaches)
- Early August: Production work commences for production team
- Mid August: Principals' rehearsals commence
- Late August: Residential course for all members of the company - principals, chorus, some members of the production team, and, if appropriate, orchestra. The fee for this six days' residential course is currently about £150, though special arrangements can be made in cases of particular hardship
- September: Technical rehearsals, dress rehearsals, previews and up to six performances
Every effort is made to avoid clashes with public examinations, school, college and higher education commitments, Youth Orchestra courses and performances.
Further information from:
Bedfordshire Music, County Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford, MK42 9AP.
Tel: 01234 276383
