Scottish Opera set for return to Markinch Town Hall

The tour marks the national opera company’s 60th anniversary, and continues their commitment to taking opera to 60 communities around Scotland.

The piano-accompanied production is directed by Emma Jenkins with design coming from Janis Hart, who has produced a 1970s styled aesthetic for the two-hour long performance.

The cast includes Scottish Opera’s 2022/23 emerging artists, Zoe Drummond and Osian Wyn Bowen, alongside Christopher Nairne and Shakira Tsindos, accompanied on the piano by Scottish Opera’s 2022/23 Emerging Artist Kristina Yorgova.

Selections curated by Derek Clark, head of music at Scottish Opera, range from Mozart and Beethoven to Verdi and Bizet, meaning that opera goers can experience pieces from the familiar to less well known.

The show will also feature a world premiere for 2021/22 Emerging Artist Toby Hession’s piece Told By An Idiot. The composer’s piece is a modern reworking of Hamlet and is performed with libretto from director Jenkins.

Jenkins says the production is a celebration of all parts of the opera experience.

She said: “Our singers put on and take off various roles as if possessed by the force of love in a fast-paced performance that celebrates not only the voice, but also ensemble work and physical theatre. All this against the backdrop of Janis Hart's stunning design which combines a retro 70s feel with an anarchic theatrical space in which one feels that anything could happen!”

Tickets for the show on Saturday, September 24, can be purchased at: https://www.scottishopera.org.uk/shows/opera-highlights-202223/