2010/11

“The Opera Group is adynamic young companythat brings great theatricalverve to the staid old worldof opera.” The Times

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We’ve been commissioning and touring newopera in the UK and internationally for over tenyears. We create new operas that have acontemporary resonance as well as bringingclassic music theatre works back to life.

We make all our work in collaboration with people andorganisations who inspire us. Our creative partners includeYoung Vic, Oxford Playhouse, Brighton Dome & Festival,Watford Palace Theatre, Anvil Arts Basingstoke and ROH2at the Royal Opera House where we have performed tenproductions since 2004.

We are grateful to ArtsCouncil England as well asto the important group oftrusts and foundations forthe ongoing support whichmakes our work possible.Thanks also to our rapidlyexpanding group of majorindividual donors and ourvery own OperaGroupieswho both support andchallenge us.

Photo: Recital 1 by Robert Workman

The Human Comedy is a tale of family in a smalltown in southern California during World WarTwo. Young Homer delivers telegrams of love, joy and the sorrows of war. His mother prays forthe safe return of his brother from the frontline. His sister dreams that she too could fight for her country.

The musical is a timeless coming-of age story thatcelebrates the healing power of community and theunifying spirit of song by Galt MacDermot, composer of the 1968 musical Hair.

Following their Evening Standard award for Street Scenein 2008, The Opera Group again joins forces with the Young Vic and Watford Palace Theatre in bringing to lifeanother rarely-performed treasure. The Human Comedy is through-composed and fuses a variety of exuberantstyles, this time swing, gospel, pop and folk, and uses a professional cast enhanced by an ensemble of overeighty community performers.

Music Galt MacDermotWords William DumaresqFrom an original story by William SaroyanMusical Director Phil BatemanDirector John FulljamesDesigner Jon BausorLighting Designer Bruno PoetSound Designer Fergus O’HareMovement Director Sasha Milavic Davies

A Young Vic/The Opera Groupproduction, co-produced withWatford Palace Theatre

Young VicMon 13–Sat 18 September 2010www.youngvic.org 020 7922 2922

Watford Palace TheatreThu 7–Sat 9 October 2010www.watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk01923 225 671

A faceless stranger arrives in town and agrees toexterminate its plague of rats; but when theMayor refuses to pay up, his actions have terriblerepercussions.

In this spine-tingling re-imagining of The Pied Piper fable,the telling of the story is pared-down, a masterpiece ofeconomy, with just two female singers playing all the roles.The eerily beautiful and highly-original score, performedby London Sinfonietta, is rich, full of atmosphere andtotally spell-binding.

Into The Little Hill receives a welcome revival in 2010following our acclaimed London premiere in 2009.George Benjamin’s first music theatre work , it won him aRoyal Philharmonic Society Award. This production wasnominated in the Opera category of the South BankShow Awards.

Music George BenjaminWords Martin CrimpConductor Franck OlluDirector John FulljamesDesigner Soutra GilmourLighting Designer Jon ClarkProjection Designer Mick McNicholas

The Opera Group/AldeburghFestival/London Sinfonietta/ROH2 co-production

Final performances for 2010 atGran Teatre de Liceu, Barcelonaon 2 & 3 December.www.liceubarcelona.com

Supported by The Into The Little Hill Syndicate

“A masterpiece,no question”Daily Telegraph

“Exquisite…a magical,imaginativepiece”Observer

Photo: Into the Little Hill by Alastair Muir

Seven angels have fallen through spaceand time for so long, they have forgottenwhy. Coming to rest on a desert landscape,they imagine the creation of a legendarygarden that once flourished there, and itsdestruction from greed and neglect.

Inspired by Paradise Lost, poet and playwrightGlyn Maxwell interprets the themes of John Milton’smasterpiece for a modern audience facing up to the urgent challenges of a changing climateand ever-depleting resources.

Luke Bedford’s music is dark but seductive, tensebut lyrical and integrates both solo voices andchoral textures. The opera’s post-apocalypticlandscape is realised by Japanese visual artistTadasu Takamine.

Music Luke BedfordWords Glyn MaxwellMusical Director Nicholas CollonDirector John FulljamesDesigner Tadasu Takamine

The Opera Group and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group production,co-produced with ROH2 and Tramway Glasgow

World premiere at CBSO Centre Birmingham on 17 & 18 June 2011, followed by UK tour

Seven Angels is co-commissioned by BirminghamContemporary Music Group and The Opera Group with fundsgenerously provided by the John Feeney Charitable Trust. Theopera was developed with the support of a Jerwood OperaFellowship at Aldeburgh Music and the Columbia Foundation.

SevenAngels

Creating Operas of the FutureFunded by the JerwoodCharitable Foundation, The Opera Group’s Incubatorprovides a space for innovation– enabling us to fully developcreative ideas and buildrelationships with non-artscollaborators. During the yearwe invite potential partners and supporters to see our work-in-progress and engage in therealisation of new projects.

In 2010 the Incubator made it possiblefor us to build links with partners suchas the Institute of Psychiatry and theAlzheimer’s Society for The Lion’sFace and Friends of the Earth forSeven Angels.

In development throughout 2010 and2011 is a new project with composerEdward Rushton (whose Birds. Barks. Bones.for The Opera Group won him a BritishComposer’s Award). He is collaborating with Indian poet Jeet Thayil on a new operaengaging with the causes of fundamentalism. The central figure Babur – The Tiger (the first Mughal Emperor) appears as a ghost incontemporary London to debate the value offundamentalism with a group of young people.The piece is being developed over two years inIndia, the UK and Switzerland with workshops inDelhi and London in 2010 providing the initialworking sessions for the creative artists. Thepremiere of the finished work will be in 2012 incollaboration with Swiss musical ensembleEnsemble Für Neue Musik Zürich.

photo: Street Scene in rehearsal atJerwood Space by Katherine Leedale

SUPPORTING THE OPERA GROUP –help us to tell our story

Despite raising income from our generoussupporters and the box office we still needto find at least £350k additional incomeeach year through fundraising to enableus to present our ambitious programme ofnew work.

Opportunities to support us are excitingand varied – from commissioning newoperas, developing the company’slearning and participation programme‘Insight’, to launching creative digitalprojects. We like to think that The OperaGroup has something to interest everyone.

We pride ourselves on building personalrelationships with our supportors – TheOpera Group would like to talk to youabout getting involved.

The Opera Group is a registered charity. We are frequently asked how we create or develop new work? The answer is – only with support.

The OperaGroupies support our commitmentto the future of opera by giving opportunitiesto young composers and artists to find newand creative ways to tell stories with music.

With a minimum donation of £100/year (or£10/month by direct debit), OperaGroupies’benefits include backstage insights, invites to join us for opening nights, post-show parties,regular updates and more. See www.theoperagroup.co.uk for moredetails or contact the office.

Photo: The Lion’s Face by Alastair Muir

Artistic Director John FulljamesExecutive Producer Sherry NeyhusGeneral Manager Alison PorterMarketing Ben Jefferies for makesthreePress Faith Wilson, Faith Wilson Arts PublicityDevelopment Michelle Wright for Cause4Education Nina SwannFinance Sandra Francis-Love

Trustees: David Bernstein, John Gilhooly,Lindsey Glen, Paul Kearney, AnthonyNewhouse, Andrew Newman and ClaudiaPendred (Chair).

The Opera Groupwww.theoperagroup.co.ukEmail enquiries@theoperagroup.co.ukc/o Young Vic66 The CutLondonSE1 8LZPhone +44 (0)20 7922 2846Fax +44 (0)20 7922 2801

Registered Charity no. 1070013

Photos: The Lion’s Face (front cover) and The Enchanted Pig (back cover) by Alastair Muir

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Garfield Weston FoundationEranda Foundation

The Opera Group tourswith the support of