Albert Herring cast announced
With our summer opera festival just a matter of days away, both Albert Herring casts are fine tuning their performances ready to guarantee you an evening full of fun and great music. You can find the two casts – our main cast and their covers – here.
What's it all about, Albert?
Introducing Albert Herring – a comic tale of small town life, where the attitudes and relationships of the local dignitaries, both obvious and concealed, lead the hapless Albert Herring to his unwanted prominent role of May King in the community.
We are most fortunate to have within our own community of Clapham Old Town one of the leading authorities on the works of Benjamin Britten – Christopher Wintle, emeritus member of the Music Department of King’s College London, author of What Opera Means, and editor of Hans Keller’s Britten Essays, Letters and Opera Guides.
Box office opens for Albert Herring
Summer is nearly here and rehearsals for our 2022 Opera Festival are in full swing. We are staging three performances of Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring from 7-9 July at our home, St Paul’s Church, Rectory Grove, Clapham.
David Butt Philip Gala: thoughts from the audience
Church and music go together like salt and pepper. But real robust operatic singing is unusual in church. Except that’s exactly what’s on offer at St Paul’s Clapham with its hall-like shape, multiple windows, and acoustically helpful wooden ceiling
The reason is St Paul’s Opera. Yes that’s right. This is a church that does opera too. Opera may indeed be rare among ecclesiastical goings-on. And certainly opera is more Italian or German than British. But Father Jonathan, vicar at St Paul’s, spent two decades as Anglican parish priest in Rome at All Saints near the Piazza del Popolo, and Ogni Santi, via del Babuino, had lots of opera during his time in charge, just as there is now at St Paul’s a hop and a skip from Clapham Common.
Box office now open for David Butt Philip Gala evening
It’s going to be one of the highlights of SPO’s year – a fundraising gala concert hosted, and starring, international tenor David Butt Philip. David will be joined by three other international stars – wonderful voices certain to be gracing the stages of top opera houses all over the world for some years to come.
They are Lauren Fagan (soprano), Stephanie Wake-Edwards (mezzo-soprano) and David Shipley (bass). All four artists are alumni of the Royal Opera’s prestigious Jette Parker Young Artist Programme
Tricia Ninian is Clapham Society's Monday night guest speaker (and singer)
Please do get along to Clapham's Omnibus Theatre tomorrow evening (21st February) for the Society's monthly Monday Night Talk when SPO founder and artistic director Tricia Ninian will be setting out a brief history of the company, and telling the audience of lots of exciting plans on the cards for this year ahead.
David Butt Philip Masterclass 2022
After an enforced break over the last two years we are delighted to announce David Butt Philip is back with St Paul’s Opera for his fourth Masterclass and we are most grateful to him for, once again, finding time in his increasingly busy international schedule for this event which is growing in popularity both with our candidates and audience.
Come to our Big Birthday Bash
Join St Paul’s Opera and Patricia Ninian to celebrate a certain ‘Big Birthday’ with a free concert of opera and cabaret. The date is Friday, 11th February and the venue is, as ever, St Paul’s Church in Rectory Grove, Clapham Old Town.
Albert Herring auditions are underway
Auditions for SPO’s Summer Opera Festival are being held this week and the full cast for our production of Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring will be announced soon.
Cinderella tickets now on sale... you SHALL go to the concert
Christmas is coming and Cinderella is getting ready to meet her Prince Charming. And we are busy rehearsing our semi-staged operetta, set to Pauline Viardot’s classic score. It’s certain to be the perfect way to start the festive season for opera fans young and not so young.
