DUCHY OPERA - BLOG

Come and Sing

4/1/2025

Our 2024 'Come and Sing' event turned out to be a fun afternoon learning some opera choruses along with some simple, easy movement. This free event was led by RUSSELL PASCOE with Clive Ellison at the keyboard, and was an introduction to some of the music from our 2025 production of La Traviata. Thanks to those who gave voluntary contributions for this enjoyable afternoon, we were able to raise £120 for the Truro Foodbank.

Tickets on sale for La Traviata

20/12/2024

Festive Greetings, and Glad Tidings
to all our followers:
The Minack is opening the box office on
Monday January 6th 2025
for performances of
La Traviata by Duchy Opera
at The Princess Pavilion, Falmouth
on June 5th and 6th.

Here is the link:
https://www.minack.com/whats-on/la-traviata
or use the QR code on the right

Last orders for our FODO concert this coming Friday

18/11/2024

There are still a few tickets available for our FODO lunchtime concert.
This week - Friday 22nd November 2024

We are delighted to tell you that our friends
John Hobbs and Cheryl Brendish
will be our guest soloists.

Sweet Harmony
featuring
Cheryl Brendish and John Hobbs
with
Clive Ellison, Piano
at
Longfield, Perranwell Station, Nr Truro, TR3 7LZ
on
Friday 22nd November 2024

Welcome bubbles at 12.30, followed by finger buffet lunch
Concert at 2 pm

Ticket price £20 for members and £25 for other guests
Book with Sally,
01872 859345, [email protected]
then pay by cheque to Steve Walters, or direct to the bank
FODO, NatWest Bank, Newquay,
sort code: 54-10-38; a/c: 95954538
ref Longfield
No actual tickets will be sent, your name will go on Sally's list when paid

Raffle

Directions
From centre of Perranwell Station village by the Royal Oak pub:
Leaving the Royal Oak and Morgan Garage on your left, take the next left turn sign posted to Frogpool and Cold Wind Cross. Pass under the railway bridge and turn left onto Greenwith Road, (marked). Follow this road leaving a little crescent of houses on your left and soon the road bears sharp right. There are a few houses on your right and trees and fields on your left. Continue for about 3 minutes until the road bears sharp left. Do not continue on this road but take the little lane on your right which goes to Pryors Farm.* This lane has beech trees on the left and fields and hedging on the right. Longfield is the 3rd house on the left after Greensplatt House and The Beeches.
*There will be a sign marked FODO at this turning.

We are so proud of our Duchy Opera singers .....

18/11/2024

They swept the board at the Camborne music festival
and all came away with silver to polish.

Coming in December!

10/10/2024

MORE INFORMATION

News of audition dates for La Traviata

10/10/2024

News.. News... News....

23/9/2024

Our latest Duchy Opera newsletter was released last week. For your email copy please sign up to our CONTACT list

Friends of Duchy Opera newsletters are about to be sent out. Why not join FODO and support Duchy Opera.
Details are on this page

Benjamin Luxon CBE - an outstanding man.

2/8/2024

It was with great sadness that we heard of the death of Benjamin Luxon, which occurred on Wednesday 25th July. We send condolences to his wife and family.

Internationally renowned baritone Ben Luxon has had a long association with Cornwall and with Duchy Opera and was appointed a life member of the company. He was born in Redruth, Cornwall and early in his career he was a member of composer Benjamin Britten's English Opera Group, singing roles in Albert Herring and The Rape of Lucretia in 1963. Eight years later, Britten composed the title role of his television opera Owen Wingrave specifically for Luxon's voice. He went on to sing at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and at the Glyndebourne Opera Festival, where he became a frequent guest. He had a long association with English National Opera and has performed leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala and in Los Angeles as well as most of the major European opera houses. He has been a recitalist with an unusually broad repertoire, ranging from early music through Lieder to contemporary song, music hall and folk music and has made more than a hundred recordings. Since experiencing problems with hearing loss he has developed a career as a narrator and poetry reader whilst continuing to direct opera and give master classes. He currently lives in the USA, but in 2012 came to Cornwall to perform in Miracle Theatre and English Touring Opera's Tin.

Whilst at the height of his international opera career he saw Duchy Opera’s first production of Carmen in 1984 and was so impressed by the high standard of the Company that he spoke to Director Chris Warner offering help and support. Being Cornish-born with family still in the area and educated at Truro School he often visited the County. In 1987 Duchy Opera was extremely privileged when he agreed to sing the role of Papageno in a touring production of The Magic Flute, which he did, to the delight of the audience, Cornish-style, at one point sitting on the edge of the stage eating a pasty! His wife, soprano Sheila Amit, shared the part of Papagena with Suzanne Manuell. He introduced the Company to Leon Lovett, a London based conductor, also at the height of his career, who then became Musical Director for a number of years. In 1989 Ben played the title role in Duchy Opera’s 2nd production of Eugene Onegin which he was also singing concurrently at La Scala, Milan, in Russian. He also took part in Country House concerts and on one memorable occasion, when the food for the Friends was being prepared at St Michael’s Mount, on the afternoon of the concert, he swam across to see how the preparations were going. Having swum back he returned an hour later looking immaculate in white tie and tails.

Another outstanding occasion was the Last Night of the Proms at Carn Brea when Ben was seen crawling on the roof of the building blocking out the light from the windows with black bin bags. He was definitely ‘hands-on’ and not in any way a divo! It was here too that, during a discussion between Ben and Chris Warner, the embryonic stages of a theatre for Cornwall were planned on the back of a menu and resulted in Ben forming part of a core group which met to discuss the future and campaign for a new City Hall (later renamed the Hall for Cornwall). In 1998 Duchy Opera staged its first production in the newly built Hall for Cornwall – Die Fledermaus, which was directed by Ben and designed by Lyn LeGrice. He also directed Carmen the following year.

Ben spent the latter part of his life in Sandifield Massachusetts, where he was heavily involved with community theatre and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute; he always maintained strong links with his beloved Cornwall, and returned there with a 26-strong company from his adopted home-town to perform at the Minack Theatre in 2018.

A fabulous time was had by all!!

16/7/2024

Enjoy a selection of photos from our production of Die Fledermaus.
Photos by Mike Thompson. More on our Facebook page and Gallery

La Traviata 2025

16/7/2024

In the summer of 2025 Duchy Opera will be presenting
La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
Please check social media/website pages later in the year for further updates on dates, venues and auditions