{{nofootnotes, date=April 2010 ''Operatunity'' was a talent search— and Michael Waldman's film that documented it— in which the English National Opera conducted a nationwide search to find someone in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

without professional opera experience, who could be coached to sing in a staged

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

—

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's '' Rigoletto'' in the event— on the stage of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Coliseum Theatre The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre o ...

in the company of world-class performers, part of the ENO's regular season.

Audition and choosing

The audition process followed a casting call for submitted

videotape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassett ...

s, that resulted in some 2500 entries from a colorful group of which a hundred were auditioned in person, on a bus tour that encompassed regional auditions, which led to a series of London workshops for the final six participants, including an investment banker, a builder—who stood on a scaffolding at a construction site to belt out a

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...

song— an ex-

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

, wrestler and model, a

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...

cashier, and a blind mother of three. The finalists received intense vocal coaching and dramatic technique, as well as physical training and the fundamentals of

stagecraft Stagecraft is a technical aspect of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes constructing and rigging scenery; hanging and focusing of lighting; design and procurement of costumes; make-up; stage management; audio engineering; and p ...

. Two finalists were selected,

Jane Gilchrist Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

and

Denise Leigh {{nofootnotes, date=April 2010 ''Operatunity'' was a talent search— and Michael Waldman's film that documented it— in which the English National Opera conducted a nationwide search to find someone in the United Kingdom without profession ...

, who shared the demanding role of Gilda onstage, in March 2003. The documentary follows their nerve-racking final days before the performance and the exhilaration of their operatic debut, combining real-life drama with the high theatrical drama and emotional intensity of grand opera. In a sense, ''Operatunity'' was an expansion of ENO's program for young opera singers, The Knack, directed by Mary King, a panel member for ''Operatunity''. A criterion for the selection, in addition to raw vocal talent, was the ability of a singer rapidly to put into practice guidance from the coaches. The other members of the panel consisted of Anthony Legge, head of music at the English National opera, Karen Gillingham, an actress singer trained at The Knack,

Paul Daniel Paul Daniel (born 5 July 1958) is an English conductor. Biography Early life Daniel was born in Birmingham. As a boy, he sang in the choir of Coventry Cathedral, where he received musical training; then studied music at King's College, Cambri ...

, conductor at ENO, and Philip Traugott, a classical music album producer.

Winners

The winners followed up with concert tours and at the end of the year joined to sing the children's duet from Engelbert Humperdinck's '' Hansel and Gretel'', broadcast on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

, Christmas Day 2003. ''Operatunity'' won a RAI Prix Italia in 2003.

Australia

ABC TV and

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of ...

combined to produce ''

Operatunity Oz ''Operatunity Oz'' was a 2006 talent search, and accompanying four-part television documentary by Simon Target, in which Opera Australia conducted a nationwide quest to find someone without professional opera experience, who could be coached to ...

'', which offered Australians the comparable “operatunity”.

New Zealand

Operatunity is a national concert company formed in the year 2000 which is now the major employer of singers in New Zealand. The founders Susan Boland (Artistic and Managing Director) and John Cameron (Director and CFO) perform regularly in their Daytime Concerts Series alongside many other professional New Zealand artists. They produce 8 national tours every year covering a variety of genres and tour to 24 different centres across New Zealand, performing over 200 concerts every year. Operatunity's Daytime Concerts are at 11am, and the ticket price includes a light lunch after the concert which is served by the performers. The Daytime Series are quality concerts which provide a fun family atmosphere, and are loved by seniors across New Zealand. From the concerts Operatunity Travel has grown into what is now Australasias largest specialist Music Travel company taking thousands of music lovers around the world to attend their particular brand of operas and shows and the finer sights of the world. All tours are escorted by the performers that appear in the concerts and are renowned for their high quality offerings.

References

PBS: Great Performances: OperatunityBBC News, "Operatunity knocks as prize is shared"
25 February 2003

* ttp://www.prixitalia.rai.it/2003/it/winners.html RAI Prix Italia 2003br>Denise Leigh - biography and details of her career since Operatunity- The New Zealand Operatunity Daytime Concert Series.
Opera competitions 2003 television films 2003 films