John Ayldon
Encyclopedia
John Ayldon is an English
opera singer, best known for his performances in bass-baritone
roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
.
. His parents moved the family to San Francisco, California
in 1954, where he went to school. He became interested in the theatre, appearing in many school productions (including some Gilbert and Sullivan
) and professional engagements, including appearing on television in Huckleberry Finn before returning to England in 1958, where he joined the Eltham Little Theatre
.
and filled in on occasion as Sergeant Bouncer in Cox and Box
, the Learned Judge in Trial, and the Boatswain in H.M.S. Pinafore
. In 1968, he began to understudy Donald Adams
in the principal bass-baritone roles, appearing on occasion as Dick Deadeye in Pinafore, the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance
, the Earl of Mountararat in Iolanthe
, and the title role in The Mikado
.
When Adams left the Company in 1969, Ayldon took over as Deadeye, Pirate King, Colonel Calverley in Patience
, Mountararat, Arac in Princess Ida
, the Mikado, Sir Roderic Murgatroyd in Ruddigore
, and Sergeant Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard
. Later that year, he added Sergeant Bouncer in Cox and Box
(only for a few years, though), and the following year added Sir Marmaduke Poindextre in The Sorcerer
.
For the 1975 D'Oyly Carte Centenary Celebration, Ayldon played all his principal bass-baritone roles as well as Phantis in Utopia Limited and the Prince of Monte Carlo in The Grand Duke
(in concert). As part of the 1975 centennial season, before the first of the four performances of Trial by Jury, a specially-written curtain raiser by William Douglas-Home
, called Dramatic Licence, was played by Peter Pratt
as Richard D'Oyly Carte
, Kenneth Sandford
as Gilbert and Ayldon as Sullivan, in which Gilbert, Sullivan and Carte plan the birth of Trial in 1875. In 1977, Ayldon played before Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Royal Family for the queen's Silver Jubilee
Command Performance
at Windsor Castle
of H.M.S. Pinafore.
Ayldon continued to play his regular roles through the remaining days of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, except that in 1977 (at his request) he swapped Florian for Arac in Princess Ida. The Prince of Monte Carlo's "roulette song" became a favourite concert piece of Ayldon's, and he sang it on the Last Night of the D'Oyly Carte on 27 February 1982.
, Dublin Grand Opera, and New Sadler's Wells Opera. He has appeared frequently in concerts, music hall, cabaret, and pantomime. He made his West End, London debut in The Phantom of the Opera
as Firmin, and subsequently other roles in that musical, and followed this by playing the Pope in Which Witch
. Ayldon was a guest artist with the revived D’Oyly Carte Opera Company on its tour to California, playing Pooh-Bah in The Mikado and also with "The Magic of D'Oyly Carte".
Ayldon toured North America frequently with Kenneth Sandford
, Geoffrey Shovelton
, Lorraine Daniels, and others in the 1980s and into the 1990s with a concert program of G&S favorites called "The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan", often conducted by John Owen Edwards. In recent years, he has performed at the annual International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
.
in 1983. He sang the role of "The Pope" on the 1993 London cast album of Which Witch (NBCD 015).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
opera singer, best known for his performances in bass-baritone
Bass-baritone
A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende...
roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
.
Life and career
John Ayldon was born as John Arnold in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His parents moved the family to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
in 1954, where he went to school. He became interested in the theatre, appearing in many school productions (including some Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
) and professional engagements, including appearing on television in Huckleberry Finn before returning to England in 1958, where he joined the Eltham Little Theatre
Eltham, London
-Parks and open spaces:There is a large variety of open green space in Eltham, in the form of parkland, fields and woodland.*Avery Hill Park is large, open parkland, situated to the east of Eltham. It is most notable for its Winter Garden, a hothouse containing tropical trees and plants from around...
.
D'Oyly Carte years
Ayldon joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company as a member of the chorus in 1967. The following season, he began to play the small role of the Associate in Trial by JuryTrial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
and filled in on occasion as Sergeant Bouncer in Cox and Box
Cox and Box
Cox and Box; or, The Long-Lost Brothers, is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by F. C. Burnand and music by Arthur Sullivan, based on the 1847 farce Box and Cox by John Maddison Morton. It was Sullivan's first successful comic opera. The story concerns a landlord who lets a room to two...
, the Learned Judge in Trial, and the Boatswain in H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
. In 1968, he began to understudy Donald Adams
Donald Adams
Charles Donald Adams was an English opera singer and actor, best known for his performances in bass-baritone roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and his own company, Gilbert and Sullivan for All.Adams began his career with the BBC Repertory Company in 1944...
in the principal bass-baritone roles, appearing on occasion as Dick Deadeye in Pinafore, the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
, the Earl of Mountararat in Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
, and the title role in The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
.
Patience (opera)
Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride, is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. First performed at the Opera Comique, London, on 23 April 1881, it moved to the 1,292-seat Savoy Theatre on 10 October 1881, where it was the first theatrical production in the...
, Mountararat, Arac in Princess Ida
Princess Ida
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances...
, the Mikado, Sir Roderic Murgatroyd in Ruddigore
Ruddigore
Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse, originally called Ruddygore, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written together by Gilbert and Sullivan...
, and Sergeant Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
. Later that year, he added Sergeant Bouncer in Cox and Box
Cox and Box
Cox and Box; or, The Long-Lost Brothers, is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by F. C. Burnand and music by Arthur Sullivan, based on the 1847 farce Box and Cox by John Maddison Morton. It was Sullivan's first successful comic opera. The story concerns a landlord who lets a room to two...
(only for a few years, though), and the following year added Sir Marmaduke Poindextre in The Sorcerer
The Sorcerer
The Sorcerer is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was the British duo's third operatic collaboration. The plot of The Sorcerer is based on a Christmas story, An Elixir of Love, that Gilbert wrote for The Graphic magazine in 1876...
.
For the 1975 D'Oyly Carte Centenary Celebration, Ayldon played all his principal bass-baritone roles as well as Phantis in Utopia Limited and the Prince of Monte Carlo in The Grand Duke
The Grand Duke
The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel, is the final Savoy Opera written by librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, their fourteenth and last opera together. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on March 7, 1896, and ran for 123 performances...
(in concert). As part of the 1975 centennial season, before the first of the four performances of Trial by Jury, a specially-written curtain raiser by William Douglas-Home
William Douglas-Home
William Douglas Home was court-martialled in World War II for his refusal to obey orders as a British army officer and later became a successful British dramatist.-Early life:...
, called Dramatic Licence, was played by Peter Pratt
Peter Pratt
Peter Pratt was an English actor and singer who is best remembered for his comic roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas....
as Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era...
, Kenneth Sandford
Kenneth Sandford
Kenneth Sandford was an English singer and actor, best known for his performances in baritone roles of the Savoy Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan....
as Gilbert and Ayldon as Sullivan, in which Gilbert, Sullivan and Carte plan the birth of Trial in 1875. In 1977, Ayldon played before Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Royal Family for the queen's Silver Jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
Command Performance
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
of H.M.S. Pinafore.
Ayldon continued to play his regular roles through the remaining days of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, except that in 1977 (at his request) he swapped Florian for Arac in Princess Ida. The Prince of Monte Carlo's "roulette song" became a favourite concert piece of Ayldon's, and he sang it on the Last Night of the D'Oyly Carte on 27 February 1982.
Later years
After 1982, Ayldon remained active in musical theatre and opera. He appeared in principal roles with Canadian Opera, Welsh National OperaWelsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera is an opera company founded in Cardiff, Wales in 1943. The WNO tours Wales, the United Kingdom and the rest of the world extensively. Annually, it gives more than 120 performances of eight main stage operas to a combined audience of around 150,000 people...
, Dublin Grand Opera, and New Sadler's Wells Opera. He has appeared frequently in concerts, music hall, cabaret, and pantomime. He made his West End, London debut in The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
as Firmin, and subsequently other roles in that musical, and followed this by playing the Pope in Which Witch
Which Witch
Which Witch is a musical written by Norwegian singers/composers Benedicte Adrian and Ingrid Bjørnov.The storyline for Which Witch was derived from the witch finder's manual Malleus Maleficarum, and the original script was written by Adrian and Bjørnov's manager Ole A. Sørli...
. Ayldon was a guest artist with the revived D’Oyly Carte Opera Company on its tour to California, playing Pooh-Bah in The Mikado and also with "The Magic of D'Oyly Carte".
Ayldon toured North America frequently with Kenneth Sandford
Kenneth Sandford
Kenneth Sandford was an English singer and actor, best known for his performances in baritone roles of the Savoy Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan....
, Geoffrey Shovelton
Geoffrey Shovelton
Geoffrey Shovelton is an English singer and illustrator best known for his performances with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in the 1970s.After a brief teaching career, Shovelton began to perform professionally in oratorio and opera...
, Lorraine Daniels, and others in the 1980s and into the 1990s with a concert program of G&S favorites called "The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan", often conducted by John Owen Edwards. In recent years, he has performed at the annual International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival is held every summer at the Opera House in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. The three-week Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan performances and fringe events attracts thousands of visitors, including performers, supporters, and G&S enthusiasts from all...
.
Recordings
Ayldon's roles recorded with D'Oyly Carte included Dick Deadeye in Pinafore (1971), the title role in The Mikado (1973), Mountararat in Iolanthe (1974), the Foreman in Trial (1975), Phantis in Utopia Limited (1976), the Prince of Monte Carlo in The Grand Duke (1976), Mr. Grinder in The Zoo (1978), and Sergeant Meryll in Yeomen (1979). He also recorded Old Adam in Ruddigore for New Sadler's Wells Opera(1987), appeared as Dick Deadeye in the D’Oyly Carte 1973 TV production of H.M.S. Pinafore, and was soloist in the concert video recording "Gilbert & Sullivan's Greatest Hits" at the Royal Albert HallRoyal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
in 1983. He sang the role of "The Pope" on the 1993 London cast album of Which Witch (NBCD 015).
External links
- John Ayldon at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043842/Ayldon on the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
] - Profile of Ayldon
- Photo of Ayldon in Iolanthe
- Ayldon and the Last Night of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1982