Well, 2014 has been a whirlwind so far, and it continues apace!
As you may have noticed, my home page now says that I am based in Leeds. Having moved around a lot in recent years, I'm very happy to be settled somewhere for a little while! I have since discovered that I have proper Yorkshire blood floating around in me as well, so it's hardly a surprise that I love the place so much! Looking forward to a little down time now, as I come to the end of what has been a gorgeous summer with Diva Opera. My last show with them is on 6th September, and then I get to go back into the practice room (the luxury!) to get my Smetana up to scratch before cover rehearsals start at the end of the month. I can't wait! Lorna xx Goodness me - time flies when you're having fun! It seems only yesterday that I was writing about starting La Bohème - and now it's all over...
The whole process was a huge whirlwind, with 8 performances in 3 weeks, and it was only two months from first music call to the final curtain - hence "resurfacing"! I am, however, excited to be so close to opening night of Les Contes d'Hoffmann already (next week!), and it's certainly gone some way to distracting me from what could have been crushing post-show blues... If you are interested in a bit of the social media work we did on Bohème, please do have a look at the following. There's so much that I can't possibly share it all, but if you start with these links, you should be able to navigate your way to much more! A 20-minute documentary on 'The making of La Bohème' - filmed for the 4-hour "Inside Opera: Live" event on Saturday 10th May. A blog I wrote on 'my journey to La Bohème' Opera North Tumblr site (including weekly blogs by me and John Savournin) Live blog from a performance by the other cast (WELL worth a read - an hilarious, but touching account of a first experience of opera) John and I (of weekly rehearsal diary fame) also did a live Twitter Q&A on Friday 25th May. Have a flick through some of the tweets here (search on the hastag #AskBoheme - not exhaustive, so have a look on our individual feeds) That's it for now folks - see you on the other side of Hoffmann opening night! Lorna xx It might nearly be the end of February, but I'm not quite sure how! No sooner had we ushered in the new year that I had a significant birthday (21, obviously...), and lots of exciting new projects to start work on. What a year this is promising to be!
I'm currently doing some extra chorus with Opera North on Verdi's Macbeth - a job which requires being witchy, regal and exiled, all in one show. It has been such an amazing experience, and a real joy to get to know the ladies and gentlemen of the ON chorus properly. We're off on tour next week, so everyone is currently enjoying a fleeting bit of time off before the madness sets in again. Just doing the one show has been hard enough, though - the full time singers have three on tour between them. I don't know how they do it... Plans for 2014 so far include Musetta (just round the corner now!), Giulietta (Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Diva Opera) and cover Mařenka (The Bartered Bride, Opera North). Mixed in with that are a Mozart Requiem, Schubert Mass in G, Mendelssohn Hear my Prayer and - rather excitingly indeed - Strauss Four Last Songs. It has been a while since I last performed the Strauss, and I had to force myself to calm down when the offer came in. I shall have to wait until June for that though - and I've enough on my plate before then! In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for an Opera North preview blog on Bohème that I'm doing, and for plenty more exciting interviews and features on the rehearsal process. Exciting times ahead :) Lorna xx "La mia folle esistenza è come una canzone; ciascuno de' miei amori è una strofa - ma Marcello ne è il ritornello..." "My mad existence is like a song; each of my loves is a verse - but Marcello is the refrain..." For me, these words, found in the introduction to Act II in my score of La Bohème, perfectly encapulate the fiery character of Musetta. As you may have seen on the home page, I will be performing the role for Opera North in Spring 2014 - excited doesn't cover it!
This will be my début on a major house stage, and I couldn't ask for a more exciting role or production with which to mark the occasion. Phyllida Lloyd's staging of this opera has received countless plaudits for its freshness and timeless quality. I have got to know Musetta very well during my time singing the role with Heritage Opera, and I am really looking forward to the challenges presented by revisiting a role. I will let you know as soon as all the dates are finalised (the production is double cast) - watch this space! Lorna xx After a whirlwind recital tour this summer, September is here almost without my realising it! I am back up in Leeds for a few weeks, rehearsing for my first Britten opera - A Midsummer Night's Dream. It's so lovely to be back at Opera North, and to be working on such a great production. I'm covering the role of Helena, one of the four lovers - we form just one of three separate plots that all entwine in true Shakespearean style. It's quite a physical show, but there are laughs aplenty - I urge you all to come and see it!
Lorna xx EXCITING NEWS!!
This summer, Tom Henderson and I will be touring a recital of British and American song, entitled Over the Pond and Back. We are visiting venues all over the country, from Leeds to London. To find your nearest venue and to book tickets, visit the RECITAL 2013 page. We look forward to seeing you there! Lorna xx So, goodness me, it would appear to be Christmas 2012. How did that happen?! As I'm doing a bit of a refresh on the old website I thought I should probably say hello as well :)
Plenty of news for 2013 to come, but still in "watch this space" territory. In the meantime, I'm back to learning recit and channelling my inner (honest) diva, in preparations for covering Vitellia. I am really looking forward to working on this role again; I hope it's one I return to a number of times, because she is just so fun, and musically so rewarding. I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and New Year, and I'll see you on the other side!! God bless xx Well, we are half way through the main chunk of our tour for The Marriage of Figaro, and I am glad to report that I am thoroughly enjoying the trouser role challenge!! It is somewhat disturbing to be told that you make a good 15 year old boy, but I suppose this is something to celebrate!
We are visiting Grimeborn Festival with this production, alongside two nights of Rigoletto (their Spring 2012 production), in the first week of September. For those who can't justify the trip up north, I hope to see some of you there! Lorna xx Lorna is delighted to announce that she will be covering the role of Vitellia in Opera North's production of La clemenza di Tito in Spring 2013.
Rehearsals start in January, with performances running from the end of January to mid-March. Lorna performed the same role during her time at RNCM to critical acclaim, and is greatly looking forward to working again on such a feisty character! |