43 singers, 27 orchestral musicians, 25 production team - ETO on the road and a preview of the Autumn season

Rossini: Il viaggio a Reims - end of Act II - English Touring Opera, Spring 2023 (Photo Richard Hubert Smith)

43 singers, 27 orchestral musicians, 25 production team (carpenters, electricians, stage management etc) - those are the people that English Touring Opera took on the road for its Spring season of Handel's Giuilio Cesare [see my review], Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia [see my review] and Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims [see my review], a tour which ran from the end of February to late May and involved 10 performances of the Handel and 13 performances of the relatively rare Donizetti opera. And in a year the company usually performs to 30,000 people in theatres, 10,000 children in schools and community settings in around 25 towns across England.

On Tuesday last week there was a launch event for English Touring Opera's Autumn 2023 season with a look forward to Spring 2024 for friends and supporters at the Estorick Collection. Autumn will see ETO performing Monteverdi's The Coronation of Poppea, directed by Robin Norton-Hale, the company's new General Director, and conducted by Yshani Perinpanayagam, and Rossini's Cinderella, directed by Jennie Ogilvie and conducted by Naomi Woo. As a little preview, soprano Nazan Fikret and mezzo-soprano Lauren Young, who sing Clorinda and Tisbe in Cinderella, sang a duet from the opera accompanied by Paul McKenzie, and also gave us the final duet from Monteverdi's opera.

Looking ahead, in Spring 2024 ETO will be performing Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress and Nazan Fikret (who will be singing Ann Trulove) gave an outstanding account of Ann's No word from Tom, whilst Lauren Young made a delightful Baba in As I was saying.

But Autumn 2023 isn't just about Monteverdi and Rossini, the company will also be touring Under the Litte Red Moon with music by Russell Hepplewhite and written by Tim Yealland, an opera specifically aimed at children two and under! And they are giving around 50 performances across the country. Also in the Autumn will be ETO Lyrics a new mental health workshop series for 14 to 17 year olds delivered in collaboration with the education charity The Difference, and local music hubs.

Full details from the English Touring Opera website.