Idomeneo at Blackheath Halls

This year is the ninth year that Blackheath Halls has presented an opera with community involvement. A professional team of soloists, directed by James Hurley and musical director Nicholas Jenkins, will be joined by 200 residents from local boroughs, primary school children and children from special schools to perform Mozart's Idomeneo. Local residents perform in the Blackheath Halls Orchestra and the opera chorus, and the soloists include Mark Wilde as Idomeneo, Sam Furness as Idamante, Rebecca Bottone as Ilia. Idomeneo opens tonight 14 July with further performances on 15, 17 & 19 July 2015.

Community opera at Blackheath Halls started in 2007 with a production of Bizet’s Carmen, and last year's community opera was Rossini's Count Ory with Nicholas Sharratt in the title role, and Anna Devin as Countess Adele. The success of these productions inspired Blackheath Halls Opera to create a scheme specifically for local children across neighbouring boroughs. This launched in 2013 with performances of Britten’s Noye’s Fludde and this year’s children’s community opera was Hans Krása’s Brundibár, involving a cast of 50 local children, with members of the acclaimed Multi-Story Orchestra directed by Christopher Stark.


On the opening night of Idomeneo, tonight 14 July 2015, secondary school pupils from Bonus Pastor School, Bromley perform a specially composed, created during a five week composition project led by Trinity Laban, inspired by themes within Idomeneo.

Further information from the Blackheath Halls website.