Random Opera leads the way on Real Living Wage
We’re pleased to announce that Random Opera has become the first UK opera company to be accredited by the Living Wage Foundation, and that we have committed to paying all of our artists and creatives the Real Living Wage for their time in rehearsal and on stage.
We are passionate about creating opportunities for emerging artists to perform opera, but we recognise that too often in this industry, the combination of low fees and long rehearsal periods for these opportunities place a heavy financial burden on the artists. We want to ensure that our opportunities are accessible to anyone who wants to participate – not just those with the financial means to do so.
By bringing experience from his work in the utilities industry, General Director Richard Tegid Jones has found ways to make the rehearsal process more efficient, ensuring that high quality performances can be achieved without the need for long rehearsal periods. This means that artists can fit the opportunities around other singing contracts, study commitments, or a day job, making the opportunities more accessible to all.
2022 Season Announcement
Random Opera Company is delighted to introduce a thrilling and unforgettable season for 2022, including two world premieres! This year has been one of rapid growth in the face of adversity. We have been proud to continue to employ many emerging artists, host our inaugural New Works Competition, extend our local outreach with the Random Opera Youth Chorus, and we returned to live performance! We have been busy! 2022 promises to be just as exciting and we invite you to join us at one of our upcoming events.
Der Freischütz, Carl Maria von Weber 9th April 2022, Rugby
Hailed as marking the birth of German Romantic opera and inspiring Wagner, Der Freischütz is an ambitious opener to our 2022 season. The opera tells the story of a young marksman who finds himself in league with the devil as he attempts to win his girlfriend’s hand in marriage. Based on a popular German fable and rarely performed in the UK, this opera has it all – a struggle between good and evil, the supernatural, and of course, romance.
The Heavenly Ledger, Evan Henry June 2022, Opera on Film
WORLD PREMIERE! Not only content with creating opportunities for emerging singers, this year Random Opera held their inaugural New Works Competition to discover exciting, upcoming composers. The winners were Evan Henry (composer) and John Klaess (librettist) with their piece Algorithims. The esteemed jury comprising Martyn Brabbins, Sir David Pountney and Claire Rutter praised the piece for telling a pertinent story with humour and a tinge of sadness and enjoyed the unique approach to harmony. Algorithims asks ‘What if our mortal fate was determined by the vagaries of a sorting algorithm?’ Join us to find out in this opera on film production or at a live performance.
La Sonnambula, Bellini 30th July 2022, Rugby
It is difficult to see why this Bel Canto gem is not more often performed in the UK. This makes it even more special for Random Opera as we stage the first UK performance in ten years. The Sleepwalker contains some beautiful, dreamlike music, along with the usual vocal virtuosity of Bellini. The production will be directed by Random Opera’s own Richard Tegid Jones and performed at the atmospheric Temple Speech Room in Rugby in July.
Elena e Gerardo, Bottini 20th November 2022, Rugby
WORLD PREMIERE & 200th ANNIVERSARY! The season highlight for 2022 is a historic world premiere. Marianna Bottini’s 1822 work has never been performed and so Random Opera are excited to bring the work to life, 200 years after composition. Bottini was a contemporary of Rossini and was admitted to the Academy of Music in Bologna as an honorary master composer at the very young age of 18 (Rossini himself was 34 before he received the same honour!). Highly regarded for her orchestration, this is her only opera, written at the age of 20, shortly before she sadly ceased composing aged 21 when she married. Richard Tegid Jones discovered the score in the archives at the Institute Boccherini in Lucca and set about plans to stage the work for the first time. It promises to be a very special evening.
Tickets will go on sale on Saturday 11th December.
For audition information, please see our auditions page.
Join us at the Autumn Fair, in Random Opera’s new production of L’elisir d’amore: Donizetti’s comic opera of love.
Available on demand and free on Marquee.TV now!
NEW WORKS COMPETITION WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT
We are delighted to announce the winner of our inaugural New Works Competition. After much deliberation, our esteemed jury comprising Martyn Brabbins, Sir David Pountney and Claire Rutter have awarded the prize to:
Evan Henry (Composer) and John Klaess (Librettist) for “Algorithms”
Algorithms impressed the jury with a pertinent story that was told with humour and yet with a deep sadness. Musically, the works submitted contained a strong sense of melodic line, dance-like rhythms and Jazz-inspired harmonies.
The piece was designed to be based on a topic relevant to society today. From the submission: “We put an astonishing amount of faith in algorithms. Everything from our music suggestions to whether or not we qualify for a mortgage is subject to automated procedures. Outcomes are determined by inscrutable and proprietary lines of code, and there are few areas of life that aren’t in some way impacted by algorithm-driven software. This opera asks a simple question: What if our mortal fate was determined by the vagaries of a sorting algorithm?”
Martyn Brabbins thought, “It is a massively relevant topic and the music is handled with such sophistication and quirky humour”. Sir David Pountney agreed suggesting that the music “is quite brilliant…very imaginative, quirky and dramatic”. Claire Rutter also described the piece as “lyrical and accessible” and said the piece has “a simple, amusing approach to the story and it doesn’t pull you into despair as it unfolds!”
Having submitted excerpts to the jury, the piece will now be written to completion and will be performed live and filmed for online viewing by Random Opera as part of their 2022 season.
For more details on the competition, visit https://randomopera.co.uk/new-works-competition