Page 394 - Guildhall Coverage Book 2020-21

Warehouse boss David Ross to create Nevill Holt Opera. And then she re-created Grange Park
Opera on a new site, building yet another theatre. From scratch. In less than a year.

I often think she should be running the country (Covid would surrender instantly). And at the very
least she should be running English National Opera, which has had no effective leadership for a
long while, was falling apart even before the pandemic, and is going to need radical rescue pretty
soon. Only problem: I don’t think she’d want the job.

What triggered the CBE, though, was her emergence among the musical heroes of 2020,
refusing to despair and turning the Grange Park website into a dazzling resource that didn’t just
show films of old productions but generated masses of new work, designed for online viewing
and freely accessible. If you haven’t seen this website, you’ve missed something – though much
of it is still there at www.grangeparkopera.co.uk offering hours of quirkily informative delight to
anybody interested in voices. A must-see.

• Meanwhile, the free online productions from the Vienna State Opera continue with the
next instalment of its Ring cycle, Siegfried, on December 10: www.wiener-staatsoper.at.
And on the New York Met website next week is a celebration of Renee Fleming, the pre-
eminent American soprano of the past 30 years, now effectively retired from the stage
though still a glamorous and charismatic figure.

• The Met are screening some of her finest performances, with a Figaro December 11, Thais
December 12, Rosenkavalier December 13, and Rossini’s Armida December 14. All on demand,
and free, so you can watch at almost any time of the day. Details: www.metopera.org

• Finally, a call to young composers aged 14 to 18. The Guildhall School of Music is
running an online course with one-to-one tuition, group workshops, and the opportunity
for performance by GSMD staff and students. It’s not free, there are fees. But it’s a serious
opportunity for serious candidates. And the deadline for application is December 12.
Details: www.gsmd.ac.uk/youth_adult_learning