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The Parting & Buster's Trip
Saturday 21 September 2024 matinée 16:30 evening 19:00 (performance lasts about 30 minutes) The Cockpit, London NW8 8EH as part of Tête-à-Tête: The Opera Festival Two operatic vignettes adapted from texts by Federico García Lorca. The Parting (Quimera) tells of a man who is leaving his wife and children to go on a journey. He’s accompanied by a mysterious old man and it’s not clear where they’re going or if they’re coming back. Buster’s Trip features a brainstorming session to develop a screenplay for Buster Keaton. He cycles and he walks through the countryside. Clearly, he’ll get up to all kinds of mischief and the feds will make their usual appearance. But will he fall for his leading lady? Words: Federico Garcîa Lorca Music: Edward Lambert The Wife: Naomi Kilby (soprano) Enrique: James Schouten (tenor) The Old Man: Martin Nelson (bass) Leading Lady: Rosalind Dobson (soprano) Buster Keaton: Will Diggle (tenor) The Producer: Peter Lidbetter (bass-baritone) Director (The Parting): Jonny Danciger Director (Buster’s Trip): Walter Hall Accordion: Alise Siliņa |
Dementia-friendly performances & workshops (free)
in association with the Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory
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photos: Claire Shovelton
meet the cast...
Naomi Kilby trained at Birmingham Conservatoire and the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Opera work includes regular chorus and Comprimario roles for Opera Holland Park, and founding Opera Alegrìa, most recently singing Aurora in The Portrait of Manon and Pamina in The Magic Flute. In 2024, Naomi sang the title role in Handel’s Semele with Richmond Opera, and Geraldine in Barber's A Hand Of Bridge for OHP/Opera Alegrìa. Naomi also regularly works with OHP’s award winning Inspire outreach programme, and with the Dementia Charity, Lost Chord. A keen recitalist, Naomi has performed all over the UK and in Europe.
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James Schouten studied at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Recent operatic roles include: Prince Charmant Cendrillon (RCS Opera), Idomeneo Idomeneo (RCS Opera), Sellem (cover) The Rake's Progress (The Grange Festival), Don José Carmen (Opera in Oborne), Laca Jenufa (Fulham Opera). This will be James's 3rd outing of Ed Lambert's music - having previously performed as ‘Manuel’ in ‘Opera with a Title’ (Tête a Tête, 2015) and ‘The Book’ in ‘The Oval Portrait’ (The Opera Box, 2017). Upcoming performances include Loge Das Rheingold (Regents Opera, 2025) and Eisenstein Die Fledermaus (Merry Opera, 2025).
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Will Diggle trained at the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music. His notable engagements include playing Germano in Rossini's La Scala di Seta at Teatro Signorelli in Italy, performing recitals at Tsaritsyno Palace in Moscow, portraying Vacuo in Edward Lambert’s Masque of Vengeance, and taking on the male role in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti as well as Tony in his West Side Story. Additionally, Will has covered roles such as Macduff in Verdi’s Macbeth, Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Spoletta in Puccini’s Tosca. He has also performed at the Sydney Opera House in Opera Australia’s productions of Don Giovanni, La Traviata, and Lohengrin.
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Peter Lidbetter is an international British/Irish bass-baritone from London. 2023-24 operatic roles include Germont (La traviata - Musique Cordiale), Bartolo and Antonio (le Nozze di Figaro) Kecal (Bartered Bride) Basilio (il barbiere di Siviglia - all Garsington Festival Opera) and Simone (Gianni Schicchi) and Haly (l’italiana in Algeri – both Wexford Festival Opera). Peter is a Principal Guest Artist with the Edvard Grieg Vokalensemble in Bergen, Norway and performs regularly with Bergen Nasjionale Opera. He studied at the Royal Northern College of Music where he was a Gold Medal finalist and won the Elizabeth Harwood Memorial Award for final year singers.
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Rosalind Dobson was a 2023/24 Young Artist at the National Opera Studio in London, performing scenes in collaboration with Opera North, ENO, WNO, Scottish Opera and Glyndebourne. She completed her studies at the Alexander Gibson Opera Studio at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2023. Prior to that, she pursued English Literature at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and then earned her Master of Performance degree at the Royal College of Music, graduating with distinction. She studies under Wilma MacDougall.Rosalind is based between London and Zurich and is obsessed with contemporary fiction, tarot, and good salad dressings.
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Martin Nelson has sung principal roles for the Royal Opera and other UK and European regional companies and festivals, created several roles, and has a wide experience of contemporary music theatre, West End musicals, film and theatre. He recently set up a local Memory Singing Circle for those living with dementia. Martin has developed three environmental projects for which he was elected FRGS: Scrap and Scratch Opera, which mounted large-scale al fresco community events for children; Cycle Orbital, https://london-cycle-orbital.org.uk and EQ – promoting equinoxes as the Earth Days they truly are https://martinnelson.co.uk/eq/.
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Alise Siliņa is a Latvian classical accordionist who has performed in theatre and opera productions, contemporary and classical chamber music projects, and collaborated with dancers, writers, and creative light designers. She has performed projects at the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London Contemporary Dance School and the University of Cambridge. In 2023 Alise presented her first solo concert in London with “New Stages Creations” delivering a multi-art performance including solo accordion, narration, and creative light design. In Summer 2024 she performed in “Much Ado About Nothing” at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London.
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Jonny Danciger read music at St Peter’s College, Oxford. Training includes placements with the Royal Opera House and British Youth Opera, assisting Keith Warner. He was artistic director of the OSO Arts Centre from 2020-22, and is an associate director with Orchestra Vox and Cumbria Opera. He runs a theatre company with poet Roger McGough, winning Best Children’s Show at the 2023 EdFringe. He has performed in the West End in Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace) and Twisted Tales (Lyric Hammersmith). Jonny has over 50 professional design credits at venues including the Tokyo Metropolitan, Birmingham Old Rep and London's Peacock Theatre.
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Walter Hall is an opera and theatre director who has recently graduated from the University of Bristol. While studying there, he directed three operas (Die Fledermaus, The Elixir of Love and Ethel Smyth’s Fête Galante), a new play (There’s a Ram in our Kitchen) and an outdoor production of Sophocles’ Antigone. In 2022-3, he was the president of the Bristol University Opera Society. He is going to be assistant directing Merry Opera’s Die Fledermaus next year.
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