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Tuesday 15 June 2021

Debussy's Prodigal Son returns to Sheffield this Summer

Debussy: The Prodigal Son - Opera on Location - Sheffield

Sheffield-based Opera on Location is returning to live performances this Summer with an outdoor staging of Debussy's lyric scene, L'enfant prodigue (The Prodigal Son) which will be staged at Kelham Island Museum on 15 August 2021, with four performances throughout the day. The work will be directed by Ashley Pearson who has written a new English libretto and Juliane Gallant conducts a 10-piece instrumental ensemble performing a new orchestration by Sheffield-based composer George Morton, with Andrea Tweedale as Lia, Gareth Lloyd as Azael, and Thomas D Hopkinson as Simeon.

There is a Sheffield connection with the opera. Whilst Debussy wrote L'enfant prodigue in 1894 for the Prix de Rome (which he won), he later re-orchestrated the work and this version was premiered at the Sheffield Music Festival with Sir Henry Wood conducting in 1908. Whilst the story does tell the tale of a prodigal son, the plot has no link to the Biblical parable.

Founded in 2013, Opera on Location is a Sheffield-based company, which aims to perform professional opera in real locations, and provide valuable opportunities for young singers in the early stages of their professional careers. The opera company was founded by Kathryn Gasic and Gareth Lloyd, two young arts professionals, who between them have extensive experience spanning arts administration and management, performance and producing.

Full details from the Opera on Location website.

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