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Southampton Operatic Society
Southampton Operatic Society began life in 1924 as the Guild of the Above Bar Congregational Church and is the oldest musical society in the city. Miss Edith Ashdown, the daughter of a Southampton businessman and a member of the Above Bar Congregational Church, gathered her friends (including Evelyn Thorne who ran a local ladies’ choir) to perform a musical play ''Princess Juju''. This was well received so they decided to form a society and present '' Merrie England'' by Edward German at the Watts Hall. For the next five years, the society alternated between dramatic and musical productions under the title of Southampton Above Bar Musical and Dramatic Society but in 1930 it separated into two distinct bodies - operatic and dramatic. The latter group, The Southampton Amateur Dramatic Society (SADS) no longer exists. The Second World War curtailed the activities of the society between 1939 and 1945 but it soon reformed to perform “Merrie England” once more in 1946. The wo ...
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Merrie England (opera)
''Merrie England'' is an English comic opera in two acts by Edward German to a libretto by Basil Hood. The patriotic story concerns love and rivalries at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, when a love letter sent by Sir Walter Raleigh to one of Queen Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting, Bessie Throckmorton, ends up in the hands of the Queen. Well-known songs from the opera include "O Peaceful England", "The Yeomen of England" and "Dan Cupid hath a Garden". The piece played at the Savoy Theatre in London in 1902–1903. It has been revived many times, both professionally and by amateur operatic groups. There have been complete recordings of the score and several issues of recorded excerpts. Background and original production Basil Hood's libretto makes heavy use of wordplay for comic (and dramatic) effect. For example, the homophones 'fore' and 'four' are used in a scene in the second act where it is explained that a dragon has "four legs, two of which are hind legs and two of whic ...
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Laura Carmichael
Laura Elizabeth Carmichael (born 16 July 1986) is an English film and television actress, most widely known for her performance as Lady Edith Crawley in the ITV (UK) and PBS (US) television period drama series'' Downton Abbey''. Her other work includes television series ''Marcella'' (2016), and the feature film ''A United Kingdom'' (2016). Early life Carmichael was born in Southampton, England. She is the middle of three daughters. Her sister Amy works for a software start-up company and her other sister Olivia is a charity fundraiser with the NHS. She was educated at Shirley Junior School, The Mountbatten School, and Peter Symonds College. Carmichael attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, graduating in 2007, before spending two years in various odd jobs, including a teaching assistant, receptionist, and nanny while going to tiny auditions in fringe theatres. Career Film and television Between 2010 and 2015, she played Lady Edith Crawley in ''Downton Abbe ...
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British Opera Companies
British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, the English language as spoken and written in the United Kingdom or, more broadly, throughout the British Isles * Celtic Britons, an ancient ethno-linguistic group * Brittonic languages, a branch of the Insular Celtic language family (formerly called British) ** Common Brittonic, an ancient language Other uses *''Brit(ish)'', a 2018 memoir by Afua Hirsch *People or things associated with: ** Great Britain, an island ** United Kingdom, a sovereign state ** Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) ** United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922) See also * Terminology of the British Isles * Alternative names for the British * English (other) * Britannic (other) * British Isles * Brit (other) * Briton (d ...
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Organisations Based In Southampton
An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from the Greek word ''organon'', which means tool or instrument, musical instrument, and organ. Types There are a variety of legal types of organizations, including corporations, governments, non-governmental organizations, political organizations, international organizations, armed forces, charities, not-for-profit corporations, partnerships, cooperatives, and educational institutions, etc. A hybrid organization is a body that operates in both the public sector and the private sector simultaneously, fulfilling public duties and developing commercial market activities. A voluntary association is an organization consisting of volunteers. Such organizations may be able to operate without legal formalities, depending on jurisdiction, includi ...
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Amateur Theatre Companies In England
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History Historically, the amateur was considered to be the ideal balance between pure intent, open mind, and the interest or passion for a subject. That ideology spanned many different fields of interest. It may have its roots in the ancient Greek philosophy of amateur athletes competing in the Olympics. The ancient Greek citizens spent most of their time in other pursuits, but competed according to their natural talents and abilities. The "gentleman amateur" was a phenomenon among the gentry of Great Britain from the 17th century until the 20th century. With the start of the Age of Reason, with people thinking more about how the world works around them, (see science in the Age of Enlightenment), things like the cabinets of curiosities, and the wri ...
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Ruddigore
''Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse'', originally called ''Ruddygore'', is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written together by Gilbert and Sullivan. It was first performed by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company at the Savoy Theatre in London on 22 January 1887. The first night was not altogether a success, as critics and the audience felt that ''Ruddygore'' (as it was originally spelled) did not measure up to its predecessor, '' The Mikado''. After some changes, including respelling the title, it achieved a run of 288 performances. The piece was profitable, and the reviews were not all bad. For instance, the ''Illustrated London News'' praised the work of both Gilbert and, especially, Sullivan: "Sir Arthur Sullivan has eminently succeeded alike in the expression of refined sentiment and comic humour. In the former respect, the charm of graceful melody pre ...
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Buxton Opera House
Buxton Opera House is in The Square, Buxton, Derbyshire, England. It is a 902-seat opera house that hosts the annual Buxton Festival and the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, among others, as well as pantomime at Christmas, musical theatre, musicals and other entertainments year-round. Hosting live performances until 1927, the theatre then was used mostly as a cinema until 1976. In 1979, it was refurbished and reopened as a venue for live performance. History: First 75 years The Buxton Opera House was built in 1903 and designed by Frank Matcham, who designed the London Palladium, the London Coliseum and many other theatres throughout the UK. The first production at the theatre was ''Mrs Willoughby’s Kiss''."10 things you didn’t know about Buxton Opera House"
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International Gilbert And Sullivan Festival
The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival was founded in 1994 by Ian Smith and his son Neil and is held every summer in England. The two- or three-week Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan opera performances and fringe events attracts thousands of visitors, including performers, supporters, and G&S enthusiasts from around the world. The Festival was held in Buxton, Derbyshire, from 1994 to 2013, and from 2014 to 2022, it was held in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, usually with a week in Buxton preceding the main part of the Festival. The entire Festival is set to return to Buxton in 2023. At the Festival, there are both professional and amateur Gilbert and Sullivan performances. Among the professional offerings are performances each year by the Festival's homegrown National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company. Amateur Gilbert and Sullivan performing societies from around the world perform on the Festival's main stage each year. A smaller nearby theatre and other venues host the Festiv ...
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Nyle Wolfe
Nyle Wolfe (born October 1971) is an Irish operatic baritone, who has sung with the Musiktheater im Revier in Germany and Opera Ireland. His first solo album ''Moodswings'' was released in Ireland in 2007. Wolfe trained as a singer at the Cork School of Music, Leinster School of Music & Drama, Dublin, and the Royal Academy of Music, London, followed by further studies at the Opera Studio at Zurich Opera House. He sang Don Pedro in ''Béatrice et Bénédict'' in Baden-Baden and Paris with European Opera. Kutsch, Karl J. and Riemens, Leo (2004)"Wolfe, Nyle" . ''Großes Sängerlexikon'', p. 5090. Walter de Gruyter. In Dublin he sang in ''Salome'' and '' Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District'' with Opera Ireland. At the Zurich Opera House he sang Baculus in ''Der Wildschütz''. In 2000, Wolfe was engaged as principal lyric baritone at the Musiktheater im Revier where he sang in many performances, including Dandini in ''La Cenerentola'', Belcore in ''L'elisir d'amore'', Guglielmo ...
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Edward German
Sir Edward German (17 February 1862 – 11 November 1936) was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur Sullivan in the field of English comic opera. Some of his light operas, especially '' Merrie England'', are still performed. As a youth, German played the violin and led the town orchestra of Whitchurch, Shropshire. He also began to compose music. While performing and teaching violin at the Royal Academy of Music, German began to build a career as a composer in the mid-1880s, writing serious music as well as light opera. In 1888, he became music director of the Globe Theatre in London. He provided popular incidental music for many productions at the Globe and other London theatres, including ''Richard III'' (1889), ''Henry VIII'' (1892) and ''Nell Gwynn'' (1900). He also wrote symphonies, orchestral suites, symphonic poems and other works. He also wrote a consi ...
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Rae Baker
Rachel Jane "Rae" Baker (born 19 November 1973) is an English actress most famous for playing Detective Constable Juliet Becker in the long running ITV drama ''The Bill.'' Career Born in Winchester, Hampshire, Baker joined the local Gilbert and Sullivan repertory company aged 13 and took private piano and singing lessons to improve her soprano voice. She received a personal bursary from Cameron Mackintosh to train at the Central School of Speech and Drama. After graduation, Baker secured roles in ''Guys & Dolls'' and ''A Winter's Tale'' at the Royal National Theatre. Her TV debut was in the first episode of ''Jonathan Creek''. In 1998, Baker had a role in the film '' Shadow Run'' with Michael Caine and followed that with leading West End theatre roles in '' The Postman Always Rings Twice'' opposite Val Kilmer, and as Vivian in ''Dirty Dancing.'' In July 2003, Baker joined ITV drama ''The Bill'' playing the role of Detective Constable Juliet Becker. Originally Baker screen tested ...
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Claire Rutter
Claire Rutter (born 1972 in South Shields) is an English operatic soprano.Kutsch, Karl-Josef and Riemens, Leo (2004)"Rutter, Claire" ''Großes Sängerlexikon'' (4th edition), Vol. 4, p. 4070. Walter de Gruyter. Biography Claire Rutter studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and at the National Opera Studio. Her title role performances have included those in ''Norma'' and ''Tosca'' at Grange Park Opera, and in '' Lucrezia Borgia'', '' La Traviata'' and ''Aida'' at English National Opera. She has also sung the role of Sieglinde in ''Die Walküre'' at Grange Park Opera. Her performances in the United States include those with Dallas Opera in 2003 (as Fiordiligi in '' Così fan tutte'') and Santa Fe Opera in 2008 (as Alice in ''Falstaff''). Rutter has recorded extensively for Naxos and Chandos. Selected discography *Lennox Berkeley: ''A Dinner Engagement'' - City of London Sinfonia, Richard Hickox (conductor). Chandos CHAN 10219 *Lennox Berkeley: ''Ruth'' - City of ...
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