AN INVITATION is being made for singers to take part in the opera gala at the Villa Marina in Douglas next month.
Singers are needed for the Isle of Man Symphony Orchestra’s concert in which they are joined by the Isle of Man Choral Society.
Together they will be performing some of the great operatic choruses. Any choral singers who would like to take part will be warmly welcomed.
The programme opens with Rossini’s Overture to the Barber of Seville. Choruses performed with the Isle of Man Choral Society will include the Humming Chorus from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Verdi’s Nabucco, Habanera from Bizet’s Carmen and the Triumphal Scene from Verdi’s Aida.
Rehearsals take place on Sunday afternoons at St Andrew’s Church in Glencrutchery Road between 2.30pm and 4pm. Music is provided and anyone interested is welcome to turn up. The rehearsals are fairly informal and anyone who enjoys singing would be well received.
The concert itself will include many operatic highlights from such works as Puccini’s La Boheme and Bizet’s Carmen as well as music from well known operatic composers such as operas of Mozart, Verdi and others.
Five guest soloists – two from the Isle of Man and three from the UK – will be joining the orchestra to perform the pieces.
They are sopranos Kristene Sutcliffe and Karen Elliott, Mandy Griffin, contralto, Ben Kerslake, tenor and baritone Alastair McCall and they will perform arias by Bizet, Delibes, Donizetti, Dvorak, Gounod, Humperdinck, Saint Saens, Mozart, Puccini, Purcell, Rossini and Verdi.
The orchestra’s conductor Maurice Powell said the concert provided a relatively rare opportunity in the Isle of Man for an audience to hear opera music accompanied by a full orchestra.
‘Rehearsals are going really well and the orchestra is getting well acquainted with the repertoire. We have now started having rehearsals with the solo singers,’ he said.
The actual performance takes place at the Villa Marina on Saturday November 24.
Tickets are on sale now at the Villa Marina box office or at the Welcome Centre and cost £18 for adults, £12.50 concessions and £5 for children. Alternatively bookings can be made by telephone on 600555.