Alongside my producing tasks for Down the Rabbit Hole, I’ve been attending music rehearsals for “Brontë”, an opera composed by Lisa Logan for Keynote Opera, in which I’ll be performing later this year.
The opera takes inspiration from Polly Teale’s play “Brontë”, in which the audience follow the three Brontë sisters through their tempestuous lives from childhood to death. Lisa has adapted the play, (with permissions) to become the sung libretto (text) in her opera.
I will be playing the roles of Cathy and singing Bertha. Cathy is a character from Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and Bertha is a character from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. I am excited to play these roles as I believe they are manifestations of Emily and Charlotte’s innermost desires and thoughts. I think this will be a fun challenge to portray on stage.
The music is also quite thrilling to sing. I will sing melodic sequences which soar the higher vocal registers to imitate bird song and the freedom of flying over the moors. I am enjoying the technical task of drilling these phrases so that with practise they feel easier and increasing my vocal stamina as a result.
Performances will take place on 13, 15 and 16 September 2023 as part of the Grimeborn Festival at the Arcola Theatre.
Today the whole cast rehearsed together for the first time to run through the music for the whole piece.
Cast:
Elena Garrido Madrona ( Charlotte )
Ben Thapa ( Branwell, Heathcliff, Arthus Huntington )
Anna Marmion ( Emily )
Charlotte Hoather ( Cathy, singing Bertha )
Grace Nyandoro ( Bertha )
Sandeep Gurrapadi ( Ben-Nicholls )
Conductor: Alex Ingram
Composer: Lisa Logan
Director: Katharina Kastening
Designer: Ashley Martin-Davies
Choreographer: Magdalena Mannion
Best wishes for your next program, Charlotte! The first photos is nice, you have a great smile, Charlotte!
Thank you John, my brother took it on his phone. When I need some new photos I drag him out on a Sunday morning. I need to organise a professional shoot to get some new headshots when I get a breather.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Your brother does nice work! 🤙🏻☺️
Sounds like another fun opera.
Yes, it’s a challenging sing, lots in the very top register but I’m getting to grips with it.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Helping you to get high!
This sounds exciting. I recognize one name on this list, namely Katharina Kastening, who is a staff staging assistant at the opera here in Frankfurt.
After April I really must get contacting German agents to try to get some auditions (not easy). I still keep up German lessons and am confident in conversation and singing, I’m getting ready to take my last set of German examinations soon. I’m looking forward to working with Katharine Kastening soon.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Best of luck with all this. You’re right, it won’t be easy, but if you can get a place in one of the seventy-some German opera ensembles, it can be very worthwhile. Here’s my list of the German opera houses I have been to so far: https://operasandcycling.com/opera-houses-in-germany/
Thank you so much, I called and wrote to a lot of the German Opera Houses independently but they don’t seem to work or operate like that as they said they go through agents. I don’t know who these German agents are, and I know friends that have just been out in Germany for months on end trying to find out and attend auditions without success. I was supposed to have an audition last year and the passport office ruined my chances holding up my passport for months on end, I even sat outside the passport office for 12 hours to try to resolve it.
Best wishes and thanks again,
Charlotte
Amazing! What a remarkable career you have Charlotte! I truly appreciate being able to share in the energy even if I can’t be there in person (which one day I look forward to experiencing).
In April I’m going to have to brush up my cv and get my applications out again as the whole cycle starts again. I’d love to come to the States, there used to be more opportunities advertised but since covid not so much.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Sounds wonderful, Charlotte! Enjoy! All the best! xoxo
Thank you Marina, I hope you are keeping well. Xoxo
Best wishes
Charlotte
As a fan of the Bronte sisters, I would love to see this production and as a singer, would love to hear you perform. Perhaps someday, or by video. Break a leg!
Thank you Michael, I’ve not sung in this festival before so I’m very much looking forward to it. I’m not sure if the opera is being recorded I must ask Lisa.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Thanks for the update. All the best on your project and the Bronte one too.
Thanks John, sorry I’ve not been to visit your blog much recently, as you can imagine I need another couple of hours in a day.
Best wishes
Charlotte
I t is perfectly fine, Charlotte.
I remember reading Wuthering Heights back in high school, and I remember Cathy. It sounds like a wonderful project. Wishing cast and crew all the best.
Thank you Lavinia, its a lovely team to work with on a great new score.
Best wishes
Charlotte
This looks a fascinating project with which I wish you well in your uplifting roles
Thank you Derrick. I do enjoy contemporary new opera works, it’s very exciting to be the first person to sing the role.
Best wishes
Charlotte
I imagine it must be
Great, well done.
I still have things to settle, but I hope this year to come and see you on stage and take the opportunity to make images of you.
Best thoughts my friend.
I’m sure you have lots to organise. I wish you could see the Down the Rabbit Hole Opera, I’ve put a lot of time into it and we start rehearsals next week, so its coming along quickly.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Well, I can’t promise, but chances are that at the end of March or April, I can come to the UK for a few days. So, I’m going to look closely at your dates.
All the best for you
Sounds exciting
Thanks Don, I’m looking forward to it, rehearsals start properly in August so we’re preparing early.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Sounds great! Playing Cathy makes me think of you singing Kate Bush’s song 🙂 OK, very different, but the same character. Enjoy!
One of my Mums favourite artists Kate Bush, she was thrilled when I Can See Your Voice asked me to sing that song, she’s been trying to persuade me to record a couple of those tracks for her. It’s a very different sing, lots of high notes!
Best wishes
Charlotte
I wish I could see this! Toi, toi, toI!
I wish you could see it too Peter. I’d love to come over to your neck of the woods.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Sounds like a fun, challenging production, Charlotte. Best of luck to all involved!
Yes I really enjoy contemporary opera and its been great working on the project from the start as the music develops.
Best wishes
Charlotte
What a challenge, Charlotte, but I know you are up to it. Enjoy the road.
The only thing I’m struggling to keep up with is my blog, I hope people understand I just haven’t got very much time spare at all. My first opera production has been eye-opening and I’m wearing many hats, rehearsals start with the full team next Thursday so we’re finishing sets, liaising with the schools, sending out the scripts and songs, last minute meetings with the composer and doing the tweeks and on it goes. I’m on top of the Brontë though and the show isn’t until September with rehearsals in August so I’m ahead with that.
Best wishes to you
Charlotte x
Charlotte what a novel idea!
I loved “Wuthering Heights”. One of my favorite classic movies adapting Bronte’s work.
Much luck in the production. I’ve no doubt you will be great.
-Alan
Charlotte, I am going to raise heaven and earth to try and get to a performance of this, but we have been down our own rabbit hole recently (hence long no-blog-visit time) and, while we are slowly climbing out, the future remains a tad cloudy at the moment.
Oh I hope you can make it but I understand completely if you can’t. I do hope that Edwin and you see that sun shining soon. My thoughts are with you xx
Best wishes
Charlotte
Miss Charlotte! My name is Matt De Cora and I’m new to this site (just signed up this evening). I luckily stumbled across your blog and have to say, tho’ not a big fan of the contemporary opera works, your present experience sounds more than exciting and ultimately rewarding on a personal level for you. I look forward to reading your blog updates and, of course, I’ll be keeping the best thoughts in mind for you. ~M.M.D.C.
Thank you Matt 😊. Good luck with your WordPress site, I have just had my 10th anniversary on the platform and enjoy it immensely although just lately I have not had enough time to visit all my blog friends regularly. I’m sorry you’re not a big fan of contemporary opera work but thank you for your interest. I hope that you can take something from my blog that you can find enjoyable.
Best wishes
Charlotte