Triumphant Opera Experience at Prior Park

19 Sep 2012

Schools don’t put on full-scale operas do they? Prior Park College does – Don Giovanni in 2005, The Marriage of Figaro in 2008 and now, in 2012, The Magic Flute…………….

The talented singers at Prior Park College reached an extraordinary pinnacle of achievement last week when they were involved in a full scale production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

This was an ambitious project to say the least, but is actually the third full scale Mozart opera that the college has produced in the last 7 years. Audiences were wowed by the setting of the piece in 1968 with psychedelic pink and orange drapes and a strong theme of the search for enlightenment which worked very well with Mozart’s original idea.

The opera was directed by Garth Bardsley, who has wide ranging experience as a director, writer and West End performer. Musical direction was in the capable hands of the Director of Music, Roland Robertson and singing teacher Alicia Carroll. The Prior Park Sixth form students who were lucky enough to take part are very clear that it has been a life-changing experience which has opened up the world of opera for them. Many of them now look forward to being involved in opera at university and beyond.