The world’s greatest groupie collector is back in action. His past littered with love, lies and legendary conquests, this star is ready to rock your world one last time. Join us for this dramatic tale of seduction, betrayal, and ultimately, divine retribution. Mozart’s masterpiece of music and drama will leave you captivated.
performed in Italian, with English subtitles
Sat 23 November 2024, 7pm
Temple Speech Room, Rugby
Musical Director & Piano: James Gillett
Director: Richard Tegid Jones
Assistant Director: Rosie Sparks
Don Giovanni is an aging rock star – still able to draw the crowds, and still able to make or break any wannabe popstar’s career. He is supported by his long-suffering manager, Leporello – forever destined to remain in his shadow. Donna Anna is an award-winning solo artist, with no interest in the leather-clad lothario. Her father is legendary producer il Commendatore, and she is followed everywhere by her fiancé, Don Ottavio. Donna Elvira is a superfan, who thought she had made an honest man of Giovanni – but was left heartbroken when the tour bus moved on. Zerlina and Masetto are young session musicians who are celebrating their wedding day – but Zerlina knows a career opportunity when she sees one.
Cast
Don Giovanni – Mike Dewis
Michael Dewis studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio. He studied with Rudolph Piernay, David Pollard and currently studies with David Barrell.
He has sung at the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Opera North, Welsh National Opera, Opera Holland Park and Longborough Festival Opera in roles including Prince Afron (Le Coq d’Or), Flemish Deputy (Don Carlos), Zurga (The Pearl Fishers), Germont Père (La Traviata), Giacomo (Giovanna d’Arco), Belcore (The Elixir of Love), Renato (Un Ballo in Maschera), Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), Sid (Albert Herring) Marcello (La Bohème) and Il Conte (Le Nozze di Figaro).
Abroad he has sung widely in Europe, including four years as Principal Baritone in the Stadttheater Bremerhaven. Roles abroad have included Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Marcello (Bohème), Valentin (Faust), Di Luna (Il Trovatore) Renato (Un Ballo in Maschera), Che (Evita) and many others. For the Wexford Festival he has sung Papageno (Die Zauberflöte) and Jack Rance (La Fanciulla del West).
On the concert platform he has sung all of the main choral works with orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Sinfonietta and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra in all of the major concert venues in Great Britain (Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, The Barbican etc). He is a specialist of German Lieder, is a German speaker and appears regularly for the Schubert Society of Great Britain.
Donna Anna – Leila Alexander
New Zealand-born soprano Leila Alexander is a graduate of the Universität Mozarteum and was a Master’s scholar at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London studying under Yvonne Kenny AM.
Past season highlights include a debut at Wigmore Hall (London) in a recital of Janáček’s works The Diary of One Who Disappeared and Moravian Folk Poetry in Songs, accompanied by Julius Drake for live broadcast by the BBC. Opera performances include Serpina (La Serva Padrona) and Geraldine (in A Game of Chance, Barab), as well as premiering several contemporary operas including Len Lye the Opera (De Castro Robinson), State of Mind (Ah Sam), and Kiri Masterclass (Scholes).
As well as her musical skills, Leila is also a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.
Donna Elvira – Beren Kader Fidan
Turkish soprano Beren Fidan graduated from National Opera Studio(22/23), London. Shestudied singing at the Dilek Sabancı State Conservatory in Turkey and the Conservatorio di Musica Licinio Refice in Italy, where she graduated with top honors. Beren was also awarded a full scholarship to attend the International Summer Academy at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.
Throughout her career, Beren has achieved notable success in national and international singing competitions. Some of her notable awards include the 2nd Prize in the 20th Siemens Opera Contest, the 3rd Prize in the Yalcin Davran Singing Competition, and the 1st Prize in the 13th Young Soloist Competition.
In 2019, Beren had the honor of performing a recital for President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Bürgerfest des Bundespräsidenten in Bellevue Palace, Berlin. She has also made impressive debuts at Welsh National Opera, Opera North, and Scottish Opera, Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall in collaboration with the National Opera Studio. During these collaborations she worked with directors such as award winning Adele Thomas, Olivia Fuchs. She sang under the baton of Christian Curnyn, Wyn Davies, Garry Walker, Derek Clark and David Parry.
Beren recently performed as Queen of the Night(Magic Flute, Mozart) at Cork Opera under the baton of John O’Brien. Right after that she portrayed Gretel(Hansel & Gretel, Humperdinck) at HGO directed by Jeanne Pansard-Besson, conducted by Thomas Payne. As Gretel she was nominated as one of the best performers by Offies. She is currently touring the UK as the leading role, Violetta, by G. Verdi’s La Traviata with Barefoot Opera Company.
Zerlina – Rebecca Madden
Becca Madden is a Rugby based soprano who has recently graduated with a Masters in Vocal Performance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where she studied under Joan Rodgers.
She first studied Aeronautical Engineering at Durham University where she sang regularly with Durham Opera Ensemble. She was awarded a place at Samling Academy in both 2013 and 2014 and performed as Cis (Albert Herring) and Un pâtre & La chouette (L’enfants et les sortilèges) at Sage, Gateshead with Samling Academy Opera.
Becca moved to the Midlands in 2016 where she continued her studies with Mike Dewis. She performed several roles with Stanley Opera & Knighton Opera, including Sister Genoviffa (Suor Angelica), Innes (Il Trovatore), Tisbe (La Cenerentola), and Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro). At college she studied several roles including Ciboletta (Eine Nacht in Venedig), Nina (Chérubin) and Amahl (Amahl and the Night Visitors). Becca is currently a regular performer with Random Opera, performing Giannetta (L’elisir d’amore) in 2021, Ännchen (Der Freischütz) in 2022 and Despina (Cosi fan tutte) in 2023.
Masetto – Fraser Robinson
Fraser Robinson is a lyric baritone hailing from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, and is currently in his final year at the Alexander Gibson Opera School at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, under the tutelage of Scott Johnson and Andrew McTaggart.
In 2023, Fraser was an Associate Artist with Nevill Holt Opera (now Nevill Holt Festival), where he was a part of the Chorus in La Cenerentola and performed in their artist gala. Fraser was also a member of the young artist programme at Waterperry Opera Festival, and was a member of the chorus in Carmen, and a soloist in their young artist gala.
Previous roles include David in A Hand of Bridge (Waterperry Opera Festival), Cover Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana, and Zaretsky in Eugene Onegin (Edinburgh Studio Opera), and he will perform the roles of Nanni in L’Infedelta Delusa and Papageno in Die Zauberflote (Alexander Gibson Opera School) next academic year.
Don Ottavio – Sam Leggett
Sam Leggett is an English tenor based in London. He began singing in 2002 with the renowned boys’ choir Libera and went on to study at Bristol University with Angela Hickey, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Scott Johnson.
Sam made his professional operatic debut in 2022 creating the role of Lord Alfred Douglas in Robert Ely’s 1936: Fishing. His previous roles include Ralph Rackstraw HMS Pinafore (New London Opera Group), Edward Ferrars Sense and Sensibility: The Musical (Surrey Opera), Count Almaviva The Barber of Seville (Tessitoura); Le Remendado Carmen (Bristol Opera); Ferrando Cosi Fan Tutte (LoveOpera); Adolfo Pirelli Sweeney Todd and Lord Tolloller Iolanthe (Bristol University). He has appeared as a soloist with Carshalton Choral Society, London City Orchestra, Woking Choral Society, London Welsh Chorale, Epiphoni Consort, Shoreham Oratorio Choir, Saint Richard Singers, and Stroud Choral Society.
Sam sings regularly with the choruses of Grange Park Opera and Opera Holland Park, as well as the Philharmonia Chorus, London Choral Sinfonia, and Echo Vocal Ensemble. He can be seen regularly in and around London singing in and directing choirs, operas, and musicals, with forthcoming appearances in Cendrillon (Carshalton Opera).
Leporello – Richard Tegid Jones
Welsh Bass-Baritone Richard Tegid Jones studied music from an early age. He also gave up his studies at an early age, feeling that Grade 2 violin was sufficient achievement. Since then he has mostly been winging it.
Alongside a career in accountancy, Richard began performing on the amateur stage in 2003, before starting Random Opera Company on a whim in 2011. Since then he has performed roles including Don Alfonso (Cosi fan tutte), Rodolfo (La Sonnambula), Hermit (Der Freischütz), Dulcamara (L’elisir d’amore), Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Don Pasquale (Don Pasquale) and Zuniga (Carmen).
Richard also acts as the Producer and Artistic Director of the company, with a number of staged operas under his belt, including La Sonnambula, Der Freischütz, Così fan tutte, L’elisir d’amore and Carmen, as well as remotely-recorded productions of Le Nozze di Figaro, Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi, and film productions of Don Pasquale (filmed at Glyndebourne) and The Heavenly Ledger (Random Opera Company’s first new commission). In 2023, Richard produced and directed the historic World Premiere of the 1822 opera Elena e Gerardo by Italian composer Marianna Bottini, after discovering that the work lay unperformed in an archive in Bologna.
Commendatore – Matthew Tilley
Praised by Opera Magazine for his “Dark Baritone voice”, Welsh opera singer Matthew Tilley trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, whilst studying privately with David Kempster. Followed by a Master of Music degree at Bath Spa University graduating with distinction.
Matthew has performed for Welsh National Opera, Longborough Festival Opera, Opera Holland Park, Heritage Opera, Mid Wales Opera, Wedmore Opera, Opera Serse, Random Opera and sang Götterdämmerung at the prestigious Edinburgh Festival.
Operatic roles include Scarpia Tosca, Figaro and Conte Almaviva Le nozze di Figaro, Donner Das Rheingold, Escamillo Carmen, Alfio Cavalleria Rusticana, Marcello and Schaunard La Boheme, Silvio and Tonio i Pagliacci, Marchese and Il Barone La Traviata, Don Giovanni and Masetto Don Giovanni , Bosun and Redburn Billy Budd,
Alessio La Sonnambula. Matthew has performed at Virginia Opera US, Longborough Festival Opera, Opera Holland Park, Welsh National Opera, Mid Wales Opera, Heritage Opera, Carmina Priapea, Random Opera, Wedmore Opera, Bath Abbey, Opera Serse, Tarnhelm Opera at at the Edinburgh Festival.
Chorus
Sophia Jin
Sophie Ellis
Phoebe Watts
Cicely Hé
Kira Alexander
Musical Director – James Gillett
James Gillett is a Manchester-based pianist and conductor from Grimsby, specialising in operatic and vocal repertoire.
James’ Manchester connection began in 2013, where he joined the RNCM Junior School. Study at the University of Manchester led him to achieve a first-class degree in Music, whilst training in clarinet performance. However, it was at university that James developed a love for music-making in the theatre. This led James to return to the piano, as he pursued further studies through a Masters degree as a repetiteur at the RNCM.
Since then, James has enjoyed producing, playing and conducting performances such as Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale, and in positions such as Young Artist Conductor for Waterperry Opera Festival. James is currently musical director for productions with Flat Pack Opera and Random Opera.
Outside of his operatic endeavours, James actively promotes community music making, and is the musical director of Oldham Symphony Orchestra, Abney Orchestra, and Voices in Achord. He is also involved in Manchester’s contemporary music scene and was honoured to work as repetiteur for the premiere of Anna Appleby’s opera “Drought,” performed by the BBC Philharmonic in October 2022.
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