Richmond Opera is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

company based in

Richmond, London Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Commiss ...

in the UK. Originally founded as Isleworth Baroque in 2004, Richmond Opera performs a fully-staged opera each year at the Normansfield Theatre in

Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long m ...

, along with concerts, semi-staged productions, and workshops.

Beginnings

Richmond Opera was founded as Isleworth Baroque by Helena Brown (1948-2012), then a harpsichordist with the

English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. The orchestra regularly tours in the UK and internation ...

and the

Academy of St Martin in the Fields The Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) is an English chamber orchestra, based in London. John Churchill, then Master of Music at the London church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and Neville Marriner founded the orchestra as "The Academ ...

. In 2002 Brown gathered together singers and musicians, many from an adult education class run by

Hounslow London Borough Council Hounslow London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Hounslow in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. History There have previously been a number ...

, to perform

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his train ...

's '' Acis and Galatea''. Staged in the conservatory of

Syon House Syon House is the west London residence of the Duke of Northumberland. A Grade I listed building, it lies within the 200-acre (80 hectare) Syon Park, in the London Borough of Hounslow. The family's traditional central London residence h ...

Isleworth Isleworth ( ) is a town located within the London Borough of Hounslow in West London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of settl ...

, the performers competed with the sounds of heavy rain (the roof leaked), low-flying aircraft, and the cries of peacocks in the surrounding grounds. Nonetheless in 2003 they went on to stage

Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...

's '' The Faerie Queen''. From these roots and with some initial funding from Hounslow London Borough Council, Isleworth Baroque was formed in 2004. The society continued to perform regularly and give workshops on

Baroque Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

, incorporating Baroque music and elements of Baroque dance.

2002 to 2012

Richmond Opera, then known as Isleworth Baroque, was led by Helena Brown until her passing in 2012. Unusually for a Baroque Music group, Brown had the instruments play at Modern Concert Pitch (A=440) rather than at Baroque Pitch (A=415) to encourage musicians from outside the baroque tradition to take part.Hobson C. ''IB and Performance Pitch'' (2015), Isleworth Baroque committee records. Janet Oates, now a composer, choir master and professional singer, took part in Isleworth Baroque's first production and remained with the company as a soloist, musician, and director for 15 years. Isleworth Baroque gave performances of

's ''

Dido and Aeneas ''Dido and Aeneas'' (Z. 626) is an opera in a prologue and three acts, written by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. The dates of the composition and first performance of the opera are uncertain. It was c ...

'' in 2006 and

Cavalli Cavalli is an Italian surname, literally meaning "horses", and may refer to: * Aldo Cavalli (born 1946), Italian bishop * Cade Cavalli (born 1998), American baseball player *Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676), Italian 17th-century composer * Hans Cavall ...

's ''

La Calisto ''La Calisto'' is an opera by Francesco Cavalli from a libretto by Giovanni Faustini based on the mythological story of Callisto. The opera received its first performance on 28 November 1651 at the Teatro Sant 'Apollinare, Venice, where it dr ...

'' in 2007 which received positive reviews. Actor Stan Streather joined the company and performed solo roles from 2008 to 2011, as did singer Rosalind O'Dowd who went on to co-found opera group Ormond Opera. Emerita Professor of

Music Education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origin ...

Lucy Green Lucy Green, (born 1957) is an Emerita Professor of Music Education at the UCL Institute of Education, UK. She had a key role in bringing the informal learning practices of popular and other vernacular musicians to the attention of music-educato ...

joined Isleworth Baroque in 2009, initially as a singer and later directing several productions. A 2012 production of Lampe's ''

Dragon of Wantley The Dragon of Wantley is a legend of a dragon-slaying by a knight on Wharncliffe Crags in South Yorkshire, recounted in a comic broadside ballad of 1685. It was later included in Thomas Percy's 1767 ''Reliques of Ancient English Poetry'', enjoyin ...

'' featured tenor William Morgan, now a soloist with the

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in Englis ...

2013 onwards

From 2013 through 2014 Isleworth Baroque continued under the musical stewardship of American conductor and coordinator of

University of Roehampton The University of Roehampton, London, formerly Roehampton Institute of Higher Education, is a public university in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in Roehampton, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Roehampton was formerly an ...

Music Leslie Anne Lewis and Janet Oates. In 2014 the company gave the premiere performance of an

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

''Lilith'' which had been composed by Oates. Isleworth Baroque then switched to performing at Baroque Pitch (A=415) to encourage musicians with specialist baroque instruments to take part. Singer, conductor and librettist Lindsay Bramley was appointed as Musical Director in 2015. In 2016 Bramley expanded Isleworth Baroque's purview with performances of

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which '' H.M.S. ...

's ''

Trial by Jury A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are used in a significa ...

'' and

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

's ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that inc ...

''. In the same year the society changed its name to Richmond Opera to reflect a broader approach to repertoire and a shift in the location of most of the company's activities to the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

Ethos

Richmond Opera's charitable objects focus on inclusivity for audience and performers at all levels. The company has a history of working with female

Music Director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...

s and

Theatre Director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

Affiliations

Richmond Opera is a member of Making Music, the National Federation of Music Societies, and also of Arts Richmond, an independent charity supporting arts and culture in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Richmond Opera is a

Registered Charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

in England and Wales. Its charitable objects are: Richmond Opera is not formally connected with an organisation of the same name which existed in the London area from 1972 to 1988.

References

External links

* * * Music Directors
Helena BrownJanet OatesLindsay Bramley
* {{authority control Opera in the United Kingdom Musical groups established in 2004 British opera companies Opera in London 2004 establishments in England