The term is almost over, only 5 shows for me to finish my first season as Assistant Conductor and Grange Park Opera, so this is a little post to highlight some great moments in the last months!
BLP CHOIR * Winners* of the Legal Harmony competition. Southwark Cathedral, May 9th 2015
Assisting Stephen Barlow (La Boheme) and Gianluca Marciano (Samson et Dalila) at Grange Park Opera has been a wonderful experience! Working with two fantastic conductors, alongside two very strong casts, a top orchestra and a brilliant chorus! What else?
There have been some surprise moments during the season, for example, when I had to step in at the Sitzprobe (first rehearsal of the singers with the orchestra) and sing Rodolfo's part! (Yes, that is right, La Boheme's Rodolfo.. not a small part!). Or when I had to take over two piano- stage rehearsals! Even better, the moments Gianluca Marciano let me conduct the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra! As I said, a wonderful experience!
There have been some surprise moments during the season, for example, when I had to step in at the Sitzprobe (first rehearsal of the singers with the orchestra) and sing Rodolfo's part! (Yes, that is right, La Boheme's Rodolfo.. not a small part!). Or when I had to take over two piano- stage rehearsals! Even better, the moments Gianluca Marciano let me conduct the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra! As I said, a wonderful experience!
Last, but definitely not least, I was privileged to go back a third season to the Bramley and Little London Music Festival, and play some Spanish and Latin American Music to a wonderful audience. It was a shared recital with harpist Claire Jones, and we ended up playing together with her husband an arrangement for harp, piano and percussion of Piazzalla's Libertango! Fuuuun!