Latest news with #MidWalesOpera
Powys County Times
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Powys hall to host open air concert for Mid Wales Opera
Some of Wales' finest classical voices will be taking centre stage later this month in an open air-concert at a historic Powys building. Mid Wales Opera have announced their artist line up for the 2025 fundraising garden concert at Gregynog Hall, near Newtown. The concert will be held on Sunday, July 13, in an open air event titled 'The Great American Dream' to raise money for Mid Wales Opera as an arts organisation. This year's event will be led by MWO's renowned Music Director and pianist Charlotte Forrest, joined by a cast of Welsh vocal talent that includes soprano Erin Rossington, mezzo soprano Angharad Lyddon and baritone John Ieuan Jones. Charlotte Forrest is one of the UK's most respected opera coaches and recitalists. Currently Senior Vocal Coach for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, she also works regularly with English National Opera, Grange Festival, Opera Holland Park, Longborough Festival and Garsington Opera. She has performed at Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw, Salle Pleyel and Pisa Duomo, and collaborated with artists including Dame Felicity Lott, Sir John Tomlinson and Sir Tom Jones. Joining Charlotte is Angharad Lyddon, whose recent roles include Mary in The Flying Dutchman, Flosshilde in Götterdämmerung with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Branwen in Blaze of Glory with Welsh National Opera. Erin Rossington is a rising star and winner of Llangollen Eisteddfod's International Voice of the Future competition. A recent WNO Associate Artist, her roles include Micaëla in La Tragédie de Carmen and Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro. Rounding out the main lineup is John Ieuan Jones, who fans of Mid Wales Opera will remember as Claudio in MWO's Beatrice & Benedict in 2023, has performed widely with Welsh National Opera, Opra Cymru and at major festivals in the UK and North America. The concert will take place in the gardens of Gregynog Hall, where audiences are invited to bring their own chairs or picnic rugs and enjoy an extended interval for picnics, garden strolls or woodland walks. The café will also be open before the performance. In case of bad weather, the concert will move indoors to Gregynog's historic Music Room.
Powys County Times
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Presteigne pupils stage their own Puss in Boots opera
Presteigne Primary School pupils have staged their own opera after a week of creative workshops. Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from the school spent five days working with Mid Wales Opera to produce a mini-opera based on Puss in Boots. The project was part of a five-day residency led by Mid Wales Opera's creative team, including Richard Studer, the director and designer, and Jonathan Lyness, the music director. Mr Lyness said: "Teaching songs to kids is one of the best things ever. "It's such fun, they're so quick, and for those that aren't quite sure, all I need to do is remove the front of an old upright piano and show them the hammers. "When a teenager comes up to you in the middle of the street in a small Welsh market town, says 'Hello, Jon,' and then starts singing 'What's the use?' from Bernstein's Candide because, some years earlier, they'd learnt this song at the local primary school… that's when you know you've made some sort of difference… in a good way." Throughout the week, pupils explored storytelling through music and song, learning to create a narrative and write lyrics that would come together in a final performance. The project aimed to spark creativity, build songwriting and group singing skills, and develop literacy, confidence, teamwork, and imaginative thinking. The Puss in Boots theme was inspired by Montsalvatge's opera and was selected for its lively characters and episodic structure, which lent itself well to a collaborative performance. Pupils also had the chance to work with Maria Jagusz, an opera singer, British mezzo-soprano and vocal coach. Jill Rolfe, Mid Wales Opera's costume creator, helped the class design and make costumes for characters ranging from princesses to ogres. Mid Wales Opera believes in the 'transformative power of music and performance'. The organisation is now building artistic plans for the next two years, thanks to the support of funders and the public. However, it is calling for further donations to ensure it can continue its outreach work in schools and help secure a future for opera in Wales. Supporters can contribute online at or contact admin@ to discuss donations or opportunities for collaboration in schools or communities. Mid Wales Opera is set to return this autumn with its SmallStages tour, featuring Trouble in Tahiti. The one-act opera by Bernstein takes a sharp look at 1950s American suburbia and will be performed in a chamber arrangement with a cast of five and seven musicians. The evening will also include a second half celebrating American opera and musical theatre.
