Last Sunday night Team Cosi Fan Tutte donned their sparkly dresses and tux for the Off West End Awards at The Albany Theatre where we were a finalist for the Best Opera Production award! We were delighted so many of the original team could make it and had a fantastic night catching up on everyone’s news over champagne and canapés!
Cosi Fan Tutte Rehearsal
James, our Stage Manager, interviewed our singers and instrumentalists of the Cosi Fan Tutte Street opera in rehearsals this week…
What is your favourite opera or composer?
Tom Stoddart (Guglielmo): “Favourite composer, Mahler, who never wrote any operas or Tchaikovsky. And my favourite opera is Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky.”
Simon Gfeller (Ferrando): “Favourite composer I think Mozart. But it’s generally the opera I’m doing at the moment as I fall in love really quickly with what I’m doing.”
Philip Smith (Don Alfonso): “La Bohème by Puccini would be my favourite opera quickly followed by quite a lot of Britten”
Claire Wild (Fiordiligi): “One of my favourite operas is Don Giovanni actually, Mozart. But I love La Bohème as well.” Read more
We are delighted to announce our cast for the 2017 promenade performance of Cosi Fan Tutte:
The Cast
Claire Wild
Claire Wild – Fiordiligi
Claire Wild attended the Royal Northern College of Music‚ sponsored by the Peter Moores Foundation and the Musicians Benevolent Fund. She won the Webster Booth Award‚ the James Oncken Song Prize and the Frost Brownson Award.
Highlights in recent seasons include Lilli Vanessi / Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate and Elle La voix humaine for Welsh National Opera, Susanna Le nozze di Figaro for Regents Opera and Petra in A Little Night Music for Opera Project at West Green House. Read more
Did you miss out on seeing the R&D preview of our Cosi Fan Tutte Street Opera a couple of weeks ago? Well, do not fear, we asked our team a few quick questions so you could get to know them…
Which Cosi character would you most like to go on a date with?
Nick Morris (Guglielmo): Dorabella; she’d force me to try harder
Lisa Howarth (Fiordiligi): Ferrando, without a doubt. Obviously, I’m biased, but who could resist the tenor line in the tender, beautiful, amazing duet that sparks off ‘per pieta’? (Fiordiligi’s aria)
Simon Gfeller (Ferrando): Despina. She seems fun, intelligent, cunning and down to earth! We’d get along I think!
Olivia Jarvis (Violin): I couldn’t date any of them – they all have severe relationship issues…. Read more
For our street opera version of Cosi Fan Tutte we can’t have a full orchestra (it’s not exactly easy to walk around with a double bass for one thing) and so, as well as cutting down the opera to 60-75mins in length, we are also arranging it for 3 instruments suitable for promenade performance. We are lucky enough to be working with the talented Composer/Conductor Leo Geyer who is doing the arrangement and leading our team as Musical Director.
You can find out more about all of our R&D instrumentalists below….
Leo Geyer
Leo Geyer – Bassoon and Arranger/MD
Leo Geyer studied composition and conducting at Manchester University, the Royal Northern College of Music and the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts. Leo’s music has been performed worldwide and broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Leo has had particular success with his theatrical works including his opera The Mermaid of Zennor which was described by The Times as “imaginative and beautifully shaped.” Recent projects include works for the BBC Singers, Opera North and the Rambert Dance Company. Leo currently works at the Royal Opera House as a Cover Conductor for The Royal Ballet. He is also conductor for Wimbledon Symphony Orchestra, Music Director for EMG Symphony Orchestar and Artistic Director for Constella OperaBallet. Recent guest conducting performances include the Manchester Camerata, Psappha Ensemble and the New York based group Ensemble 212. www.leogeyer.co.uk. Read more