Swansea City Opera
Encyclopedia
The Swansea City Opera is a touring opera
company founded in Swansea
, Wales
in May 2004. The company incorporates elements of Opera Box Limited, a touring opera company founded in 1989. Since its launch the opera has toured to 91 venues across the United Kingdom
. The company places particular emphasis on touring within Wales
, especially within Objective 1 and Communities First
areas where performances are given at subsidised cost.
Swansea City Opera has fifty performers and performs its repertoire in three different versions depending on the size of the venue. In the smallest possible venues the number of performers reduces to fifteen. The Swansea City Opera's home venue is the Swansea Grand Theatre
.
The company’s repertoire has included:
The Swansea City Opera works in partnership with The Opera School Wales
, a post-graduate training school based at the Adelina Patti Theatre, Powys
, to train and develop young opera singers.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
company founded in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in May 2004. The company incorporates elements of Opera Box Limited, a touring opera company founded in 1989. Since its launch the opera has toured to 91 venues across the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The company places particular emphasis on touring within Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, especially within Objective 1 and Communities First
Communities First
Communities First is a programme designed to increase participation and develop the capacity of Welsh communities to make decisions and run projects. The programme was established by the Welsh Government’s Department for Social Justice and Regeneration in 2002...
areas where performances are given at subsidised cost.
Swansea City Opera has fifty performers and performs its repertoire in three different versions depending on the size of the venue. In the smallest possible venues the number of performers reduces to fifteen. The Swansea City Opera's home venue is the Swansea Grand Theatre
Swansea Grand Theatre
The Grand Theatre is a performing arts venue in the centre of Swansea, Wales. The theatre stages plays, pantomimes and touring theatrical acts visiting Swansea. The Grand Theatre is the base for the UK's only Russian ballet company, the Swansea Ballet Russe....
.
The company’s repertoire has included:
- Cosi fan TutteCosì fan tutteCosì fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first performed in 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte....
, - The Barber of SevilleThe Barber of SevilleThe Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
, - The Pearl Fishers, and
- The Daughter of the Regiment by Donizetti.
The Swansea City Opera works in partnership with The Opera School Wales
Opera School Wales
The Opera School Wales is a postgraduate training school for operatic performers. The school is based in Craig-y-Nos, south Powys, Wales.The Opera School Wales was formed by Brendan Wheatley and Bridgett Gill in 1987 when the school offered its first residential postgraduate training course in...
, a post-graduate training school based at the Adelina Patti Theatre, Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, to train and develop young opera singers.