As part of commemorations in Leeds marking the centenary of the end of the First World War, singers from across Yorkshire are being sought to take part in a major arts event, performing in the UK premiere of Silent Night.
Opera North is looking for aspiring young male singers aged mainly between 16 and 35 years who would relish the opportunity to work with a professional opera company. This newly-formed Soldiers’ Chorus will join Opera North for four concert stagings of the opera at Leeds Town Hall in November and December 2018, appearing with a professional cast, the male members of the Chorus of Opera North, students from the Royal Northern College of Music, and boys from the Opera North Youth Chorus.
Based on Christian Carion’s 2005 film, Joyeux Noël, about the Christmas truce which spontaneously broke out between French, German and Scottish troops in 1914, Silent Night premiered in the U.S. in 2011 and features a Pulitzer Prize-winning score by American composer Kevin Puts.
Conscripted German opera singer Nikolaus Sprink is ordered to perform for the Crown Prince Wilhelm on Christmas Eve 1914. Afterwards, as Nikolaus starts singing with other soldiers at the front, what began as a festive event for the privileged few soon becomes a spontaneous celebration for all, crossing national divides and providing a moment of hope and humanity in the midst of the futility and horror of war.
Group auditions will be held on Monday 2 July, with successful applicants attending rehearsals in Leeds in the autumn when they will familiarise themselves with the opera under the guidance of Opera North’s professional singers.
Find out more via education@operanorth.co.uk or register for an audition online.
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