CATHEDRAL DATE FOR OPERA GALA AS MUSIC SOCIETY LAUNCHES NEW SEASON OF CONCERTS

A Chester music society is preparing to launch its new season of concerts with a glittering celebration of some of the world's favourite operas in the historic surroundings of Chester Cathedral.

Chester Music Society Choir will stage "A Gala Night at The Opera" at Chester Cathedral on Saturday 23rd November at 7.30pm. Featuring a chorus of over 100 singers and a live 50-piece orchestra, the concert will feature arias and choruses by composers including Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Wagner. 

Highlights include La Donna e Mobile (Rigoletto), O Mio Babbino Caro (Gianni Schicchi), Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves (Nabucco), Nessun Dorma (Turandot) and the Anvil Chorus (Il Trovatore), performed by Chester Music Society Choir, Liverpool Sinfonia and internationally acclaimed soloists Tenor Charne Rochford and Soprano Anita Watson, under the musical direction of Graham Jordan Ellis.

London born soloist Charne Rochford is gaining a reputation as one of Britain’s most promising tenors His wide range of roles include Siegmund, Tristan, Tannhäuser, Achilles, Cavaradossi, Bacchus and Siegfried. Recent engagements include Gerontious with the Philharmonia at the Royal Festival Hall and an Opera Gala with the CBSO & CBSO Chorus at Symphony Hall. He is equally experienced on the concert platform. Engagements include: Verdi Requiem  (Orchestre Symphonique Genevois) at Victoria Hall, Mahler’s ‘Das Lied von der Erde’ at Opera Holland Park (Fifth Door Ensemble) He was a soloist with the LPO in Mahler’s ‘Das Klagende Lied’ and Korngold’s ‘Wunder der Heliana’ under Vladimir Jurowski. Charne made his cinematic debut at the Venice Film Festival as Second Officer in The Magic Flute directed by Kenneth Branagh, conducted by James Conlon.

Australian soprano Anita Watson was a member of the Cologne Opera Studio 2006-7 and the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden from 2007-9. She made her house debuts at Teatro La Fenice in Venice and at the Salzburg Festival In 2010. Other roles include Mimì (La Boheme) and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni). Anita has also performed at Sydney Opera House, making her debut with Opera Australia in 2011. In addition to opera Anita has appeared worldwide in concerts, recitals and television and radio broadcasts. Her success in competitions has taken her to sing with many German and Norwegian Symphony Orchestras and festivals and her performances have been broadcast on German television and radio. Anita sang Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Antonio Pappano. She also performed the Strauss Vier letzte Lieder with the Rheinische Philharmonie in Koblenz and the Mariiinsky Orchestra in St Petersburg, Mahler’s 8th Symphony with Sir Mark Elder and recorded “Ariadne auf Naxos” for the Chandos label. 

Speaking about the concert, John Ferrari, Chair of Chester Music Society Choir said:

"We are delighted to be staging the first concert of our new season in the glorious surroundings of Chester Cathedral. Who doesn't enjoy a luxurious wallow in some of the most romantic music every written? Come and join us as we present a glittering celebration of Opera and the great composers such as Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Wagner, an evening definitely not to be missed."

Full details of Chester Music Society's "A Gala Night at The Opera" can be found online at: 

www.chestermusicsociety.org.uk 

...where tickets can be booked online.

Tickets can also be purchased in person from the Chester Cathedral Box Office.