- WNO Orchestra to be led by new conducting talent in Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama Conductor Showcase
- Pietro Rizzo to conduct WNO Orchestra in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 40th anniversary Gala Concert at St David’s Hall, Cardiff
- WNO Orchestra to bring the Welsh Proms to a close with soprano Shân Cothi and conductor Owain Arwel Hughes
- WNO Orchestra to perform summer concert tour with Music from the Heart
- Soprano Elizabeth Atherton to perform with WNO Orchestra at the 2023 Fishguard Festival
Fresh from its tour to Czech Republic where it opened the internationally renowned Prague Spring Festival in May with Smetana’s sublime signature piece Má Vlast, WNO Orchestra are looking forward to a busy Summer Season that will see them performing in several prestigious festivals as well as multiple venues across the UK.
RWCMD Conductor Showcase
WNO Orchestra begin their Summer Season with a lunchtime concert at Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (Wed 24 May). Furthering WNO’s commitment to developing new talent and their partnership with RWCMD, five student conductors will direct WNO Orchestra in a concert celebrating young talent. Featuring operatic overtures and orchestral pieces by Mozart, Weber, Beethoven, Verdi and Dvořák, this concert offers a fantastic opportunity to see the conductors of the future lead the Orchestra.
Tickets for the Conductor Showcase at RWCMD, Cardiff, which are available from £6 - £12, can be booked at rwcmd.ac.uk/whats-on
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World
In June, WNO Orchestra return to the St David’s Hall stage for the prestigious biennial BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Showcasing the world-class talent of the next generation of classical singers, BBC Cardiff Singer of the World offers a life-changing experience for singers at the start of their professional careers.
Led by award-winning conductor Michael Christie, WNO Orchestra will accompany contestants in rounds one (Sun 11 Jun) and three (Tue 13 Jun) of the Main Prize. Michael Christie has built an international career as a conductor with a wealth of experience for both symphonic and opera repertoire. He is currently Music Director of the New West Symphony in California and has previously worked with Minnesota Opera, San Francisco Opera and Queensland Orchestra.
WNO General Director Aidan Lang will chair the Main Prize jury alongside American soprano Roberta Alexander and bass-baritone Neal Davies, a former contestant at the competition.
Since its conception 40 years ago, BBC Cardiff Singer of the World has helped launch the careers of some of the world’s biggest opera stars including Sir Bryn Terfel, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Jamie Barton and Karita Mattila. In celebration of the competition’s 40th year, WNO Orchestra will also perform in a thrilling gala concert (Fri 16 Jun), conducted by Pietro Rizzo. The concert will feature performances of operatic hits by former BBC Cardiff Singer of the World finalists and champions, including soprano Louise Alder, mezzo-soprano Claire Barnett-Jones, tenor Luis Gomes and baritone Andrei Kymach.
All rounds of the competition will be available on the BBC, on radio, television and online.
Aidan Lang said ‘The competition has been a great addition to the musical calendar since it began 40 years ago. It is thrilling for audiences and judges alike to see new talent taking the stage and is so exciting to witness these amazing singers in the early stages of their careers. It is a privilege for me to be part of the process and I can’t wait for the competition to begin.’
Tickets for BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition rounds and gala concert at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, which are available from £19 - £42, can be booked at stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk or by contacting the Box Office on 029 2087 8444.
Welsh Proms 2023
The Welsh Proms return to St David’s Hall in July with an exciting and varied programme, once again celebrating Wales as the land of song. With a rich and diverse variety of music, including classical, folk, jazz and children’s concerts, this two-week festival will be enriched with a carnival atmosphere, encompassing the distinctive spirit of the Welsh Proms.
The first concert featuring WNO Orchestra, a Movie Prom, will feature a wealth of music from the great film composers (Tue 11 Jul). Containing some of the most recognisable Hollywood scores, audiences will be treated to an epic evening of film music, including excerpts from Jurassic Park, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter.
WNO Orchestra will also bring the festival to a rousing close with the Last Night of the Welsh Proms (Fri 14 Jul) with soloist Shân Cothi. The programme includes a feast of well-loved classics, including highlights from Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and arrangements of popular traditional Welsh songs.
Tickets for the Welsh Proms at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, which are available from £9.50 - £45, can be booked at stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk or by contacting the Box Office on 029 2087 8444.
WNO Orchestra Summer Tour – Music from the Heart
WNO Orchestra will embark on a summer concert tour to venues across England and Wales. Conductor Matthew Kofi Waldren will present a programme with some of opera’s most recognisable arias and duets, including Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Verdi’s La traviata and Puccini’s Tosca, alongside popular orchestra classics that depict the intensity of love, lust, and heartache.
Returning to WNO following his performances in The Magic Flute (Spring 2023) and Don Giovanni (Spring 2022), tenor Trystan Llŷr Griffiths joins WNO Orchestra on tour alongside soprano Nadine Benjamin in her WNO debut.
The tour will visit Barnstaple (Tue 27 Jun), Torquay (Thu 29 Jun), Newport (Fri 30 Jun), Wolverhampton (Sun 2 Jul), Bangor (Tue 18 Jul) and Southampton (Thu 20 Jul).
Tickets can be booked from each venue, for more information visit wno.org.uk/orchestra
Fishguard Festival of Music 2023
In August, WNO Orchestra will perform two concerts as part of the annual Fishguard Festival of Music. This event has been bringing world-class musicians to venues across Pembrokeshire to delight audiences for over 50 years. This year, WNO Orchestra will be joined by soprano Elizabeth Atherton for two concerts offering a distinctly American flavour.
WNO Orchestra’s first appearance at the festival (Thu 24 Aug) showcases WNO’s principal musicians, directed by leader David Adams, at Neuadd y Dderwen, Rhosygilwen. The programme will include Copland’s masterpiece Appalachian Spring and Previn’s Vocalise for Soprano, Cello and Piano, alongside works by Wagner, Martinů and Korngold.
The second performance (Fri 25 Aug) will see the full force of WNO Orchestra at St Davids Cathedral, led by conductor Kerem Hasan, in an American-inspired programme featuring Dvořák’s popular Symphony No 9 From the New World, Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and his Second Essay for Orchestra.
Tickets for the Fishguard Festival can be booked at fishguardmusicfestival.com
Audiences will also have the opportunity to enjoy WNO Orchestra performing Bernstein’s supercharged operetta Candide as part of WNO’s Summer Season. Opening at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on Thursday 22 June, the Company will then tour to Truro (Wed 28 Jun), Llandudno (Wed 5 Jul), Oxford (Sat 8 Jul), Birmingham (Wed 12 Jul) and Brecon (Sat 15 Jul).
Ends
Notes to Editors
Welsh National Opera is the national opera company for Wales, funded by the Arts Councils of Wales and England to provide large-scale opera, concerts and outreach work across Wales and to major cities in the English regions. We endeavour to provide transformative experiences through our education and outreach programme and our award-winning digital projects. We work with our partners to discover and nurture young operatic talent, and we aim to show future generations that opera is a rewarding, relevant and universal art form with the power to affect and inspire.
WNO press images are available for download at wno.org.uk/press
Further information on WNO’s work can be found at wno.org.uk
- WNO Orchestra Cardiff Classical concerts and The Chair of the Leader of the Orchestra are Supported by Mathew and Lucy Prichard.
- Various Section Principals are supported by the Principal Players Circle
For more information, photos or interviews please contact:
Giselle Dugdale, Press and Communications Officer
Christina Blakeman, Press Manager
Rhys Edwards, Communications Manager
Penny James & Rachel Bowyer, Head of Communications (job-share) penny.james@wno.org.uk / rachel.bowyer@wno.org.uk