Leeds Youth Opera
Encyclopedia
Leeds Youth Opera is an acclaimed opera company for 12- to 25-year-olds, based in Leeds
, West Yorkshire
. The Yorkshire Post
newspaper described the group as a '...national cultural treasure...'
Targeted at singers aged 12–25, LYO performs two productions each year, as part of the Leeds Civic Arts Guild – which is based at the Carriageworks theatre in central Leeds.
and The Voyage
by Philip Glass
were performed by LYO. In July 2008 the group performed the world staged premiere of Oliver Rudland's 'The Nightingale and the Rose'.In July 2009 they performed the European Premier of Appomattox
by Glass
.
The company's 2006 production of Sondheim's
Sweeney Todd
was described by the BBC as '...excellently performed...'
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
in English
.
July 2009 – Appomattox
Feb 2009 – I Lombardi
(Verdi)
July 2008 – The Nightingale and the Rose (Rudland) and Carmina Burana
(Orff
)
Feb 2008 – Idomeneo
(Mozart
)
July 2007 – Der Freischütz
(Weber
)
Feb 2007 – The Love for Three Oranges (Prokofiev
)
July 2006 – Sweeney Todd
(Sondheim
)
Feb 2006 – Cinderella
(Massenet)
July 2005 – The Magic Flute
(Mozart
)
Feb 2005 – The Tales of Hoffman (Offenbach
)
July 2004 – The Voyage
(Glass
)
Feb 2004 – The Pearl Fishers (Bizet
)
July 2003 – Turandot (Puccini)
Feb 2003 – Merrily We Roll Along (Sondheim
)
July 2002 – A Masked Ball (Verdi)
Feb 2002 – Candide (Bernstein)
July 2001 – Peter Grimes (Britten)
Feb 2001 – A Little Night Music (Sondheim
)
July 2000 – Carmen (Bizet
)
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
. The Yorkshire Post
Yorkshire Post
The Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
newspaper described the group as a '...national cultural treasure...'
Background
Formed in 1971, Leeds Youth Opera (LYO) is one of the few groups in the country specifically designed to cater for young singers. Since its creation, the company has gained a strong reputation for performing rare works, as well as the standard repertoire.Targeted at singers aged 12–25, LYO performs two productions each year, as part of the Leeds Civic Arts Guild – which is based at the Carriageworks theatre in central Leeds.
Noted productions
The UK premieres of SatyagrahaSatyagraha (opera)
Satyagraha is a 1979 opera in three acts for orchestra, chorus and soloists, composed by Philip Glass, with a libretto by Glass and Constance DeJong.Loosely based on the life of Mohandas K...
and The Voyage
The Voyage
The Voyage is an opera in three acts by the American composer Philip Glass . The libretto was written by David Henry Hwang....
by Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
were performed by LYO. In July 2008 the group performed the world staged premiere of Oliver Rudland's 'The Nightingale and the Rose'.In July 2009 they performed the European Premier of Appomattox
Appomattox (opera)
Appomattox is an opera in English based on the American Civil War, composed by Philip Glass, with a libretto by the playwright Christopher Hampton. The work had its world premiere at the San Francisco Opera on October 5, 2007, with a cast that included Dwayne Croft as Robert E. Lee, Andrew Shore as...
by Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
.
The company's 2006 production of Sondheim's
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd (musical)
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and libretto by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on the 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond....
was described by the BBC as '...excellently performed...'
Current production – Eugene Onegin
In July 2011 LYO will perform Eugene OneginEugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin.It is a classic of Russian literature, and its eponymous protagonist has served as the model for a number of Russian literary heroes . It was published in serial form between 1825 and 1832...
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Selection of past performances
Feb 2011 – La Triviata (Verdi)July 2009 – Appomattox
Appomattox
Appomattox may refer to:*Appomattox, Virginia, a town*Appomattox County, Virginia* Appomattox Basin, a name for the Tri-Cities, Virginia region*Appomattox Court House, a court house in Virginia...
Feb 2009 – I Lombardi
I Lombardi alla prima crociata
I Lombardi alla prima crociata is an operatic dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on an epic poem by Tommaso Grossi. Its first performance was given at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on 11 February 1843...
(Verdi)
July 2008 – The Nightingale and the Rose (Rudland) and Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana (Orff)
Carmina Burana is a scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff in 1935 and 1936. It is based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection Carmina Burana...
(Orff
Carl Orff
Carl Orff was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana . In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.-Early life:...
)
Feb 2008 – Idomeneo
Idomeneo
Idomeneo, re di Creta ossia Ilia e Idamante is an Italian language opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was adapted by Giambattista Varesco from a French text by Antoine Danchet, which had been set to music by André Campra as Idoménée in 1712...
(Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
)
July 2007 – Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz is an opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin...
(Weber
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
)
Feb 2007 – The Love for Three Oranges (Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
)
July 2006 – Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd (musical)
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and libretto by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on the 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond....
(Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
)
Feb 2006 – Cinderella
Cendrillon
Cendrillon is an opera—described as a "fairy tale"—in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Cain based on Perrault's 1698 version of the Cinderella fairy tale. The scenario was conceived by Massenet and Cain at the Cavendish Hotel while they were in London for the...
(Massenet)
July 2005 – The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
(Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
)
Feb 2005 – The Tales of Hoffman (Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
)
July 2004 – The Voyage
The Voyage
The Voyage is an opera in three acts by the American composer Philip Glass . The libretto was written by David Henry Hwang....
(Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
)
Feb 2004 – The Pearl Fishers (Bizet
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
)
July 2003 – Turandot (Puccini)
Feb 2003 – Merrily We Roll Along (Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
)
July 2002 – A Masked Ball (Verdi)
Feb 2002 – Candide (Bernstein)
July 2001 – Peter Grimes (Britten)
Feb 2001 – A Little Night Music (Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
)
July 2000 – Carmen (Bizet
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
)