Keeping it local: David Butt Philip, Rainelle Krause, Alison Langer & David Stout in fundraising gala for Clapham-based St Paul's Opera

As St Paul's Opera gears up for its staging of Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus at St Paul's Church, Clapham in July, the company's patron, tenor David Butt Philip will be joined by friends for a fundraising gala at St Paul's Church on Friday 9 February 2024.

David Butt Philip will be joined by soprano Rainelle Krause (who performs her signature role, the Queen of the Night, in English National Opera's forthcoming production of Mozart's The Magic Flute), soprano Alison Langer (who will be joining David Butt Philip in Opera Holland Park's production of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci in July) and baritone David Stout (who performs Papageno in ENO's production of The Magic Flute). The four singers will be accompanied by pianists George Ireland and Jo Ramadan.

The gala's programme of operatic arias and duets plus songs from musicals features Rainelle Krause in the Queen of the Night's Act Two aria from The Magic Flute, and Violetta's 'Sempre libera' from Verdi's La Traviata. There will be more Verdi from Alison Langer with 'Caro nome' from Rigoletto and she also sings 'Dove Sono' from Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. David Stout sings arias from Gounod's Faust and Korngold's Die Tote Stadt, whilst David Butt Philip will be treating us to Florestan's first scene from Beethoven's Fidelio and closing the evening with 'Nessun dorma' from Puccini's Turandot. Duets include music from Bizet's Carmen, Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, and Verdi's Don Carlo.

Moving into musicals there is 'Some enchanted evening' (South Pacific) from David Stout, 'Glitter and Be Gay' (Bernstein's Candide) from Rainelle Krause, plus Alison Langer and David Butt Philip in the balcony scene from West Side Story.

Founded in 2013, St Paul's Opera presents an annual programme which includes a fully staged  annual opera at St Paul's Church, Clapham with a mission to offer accessible opera to our loyal and constantly increasing number of audience and supporters, as well as providing a home of opportunity to young aspiring professional singers, whilst not forgetting more mature singers for roles where their experience provides credibility to the production.

St Paul's Opera's Summer opera picnic at St Paul's Church, Clapham

Full details from the St Paul's Opera website