OV Music Updates

It was lovely to watch a performance of OV & professional baritone Jolyon Loy (Br 02-08) for the National Opera Studios this week. Jolyon is one of the Young Artists for the National Opera Studios for 2020/21. Jolyon sang an aria from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s romantic opera, Aleko which is about a Russian man, Aleko, who has abandoned civilisation to join a band of gypsies. Jolyon introduces this aria where Aleko is heart-broken because Zemfira, who he loves, has taken another lover.

The video can be found here and Jolyon’s part begins at 11.38.

Another OV to look out for soon is professional tenor Richard Steele (Cl 61-71) who will be performing as both the narrator and Sir Philip Wingrave in Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976)’s opera, Owen Wingrave. This opera is part of the Interim offering of Grange Park Opera in Surrey.

This opera portrays the story of the Wingrave family, an army family whose heir, Owen, wishes to be a pacifist. This production is set in 2001 on the brink of the war with Afghanistan. The opera was filmed on location in houses in Surrey and London and will soon be available to view free online here.