John Gay’s ballade opera The Beggar’s Opera was first performed at the Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre in London in 1728 and ran for around 60 performances. The ‘ballade opera’ was a highly popular genre – a satirical musical play with songs created from well-known tunes of the day, from folksong to opera to church music. […]
We’ve been back to school this month – taking over the whole curriculum for a week firstly in Arddleen CP School and then in Buttington Trewern School, both near Welshpool in Powys. We’ve worked with 102 junior age children during the two, week long residencies, with each school creating its own unique performance to share […]
The Friends of Mid Wales Opera’s popular summer concert will take place in the glorious setting of the Music Room at Gregynog Hall near Newtown on Sunday July 21st starting at 6pm. The evening will once again be led by superb pianist Charlotte Forrest, and showcase talented young singers from across Wales. Soprano Angharad Davies […]
Putting on an opera in a week was always going to be a challenge, putting on an opera in a week from scratch with a cast, chorus and musicians largely inexperienced in opera even more so….but then we’re never known to shy away from a challenge at MWO and we’ve been absolutely blown away by […]
Mid Wales Opera’s tapas menu of free operatic treats returns to Pontio, Bangor on Wednesday March 13th at 6.30pm with five singers performing music from favourite composers including Mozart, Bizet and Puccini. The ‘Operatif’ concert is a curtain raiser for Mid Wales Opera’s performance of Puccini’s Tosca on Thursday March 14th with North Wales based […]
Tosca is an opera of many victims, some fictional, some real – where an operatic ménage à trois is extrapolated into an orgy of bloodshed, torture and death. One of the most unusual tragedies associated with this opera came not from the pen of Victorien Sardou but, never the less, befell Tosca; not any Tosca but the first and without doubt the most famous – Sarah Bernhardt.
We may not look a day over 21, but Mid Wales Opera is celebrating an impressive 30 years of producing professional shows this year! And like all the best birthdays, we’re marking it with a party at our home theatre, Hafren in Newtown where we have been opening our shows since 1989. On Friday February […]
Thanks to everyone who came along to see the show, to our amazing cast and wonderful musicians for your magnificent performances and marvellous company…
With our Spanish Hour now firmly on the road, we thought we’d take a minute to introduce the wonderful singers joining us for our Main Stage production of Puccini’s Tosca this Spring! There’s no denying we love Tosca, and so do our cast!
Catherine Backhouse – Concepcion Tell us a bit about your character and about the show? I play Concepcion who is married to the local clockmaker, he’s much more interested in the clocks than in her, so when he goes out to wind up the local clocks she takes her opportunity! She’s a fun, sassy, clever […]