The 24hr Opera

I could hardly have invented a more fitting opportunity to put all that I had learned about devising and creating work from scratch during my time as an ENO Opera Works artist than the wonderful and batty 24hr Opera, my first gig with OTC on their OperaHub programme.

I was barely back from my last devised work in London where we had created a 30 minute piece in about three days when I hopped on board this crazy project with fellow singers Sarah Shine (soprano) and Andrew Gavin (tenor).  We were to watch composers Robbie Blake, David Coonan, Anna Murray and Teodor Iuliu Radu create an opera in about 8 hours, along with our librettist-cast member Fionnuala Gygax and director Zoe Ní Ríordáin.

Having worked through the night, we singers turned up bright-eyed (or bleary-eyed) to be put through our paces by our fabulous conductor Eoghan Desmond. What followed was an insane blur of staging, learning, running & hiding that culminated in a performance to a full house and just the warmest reception we could have hoped for. Everyone should do a 24hr Opera once in their lives - nothing quite like it to get rid of the cobwebs. Me, I'd do one a year if I was let!

see OTC 24HR opera archive