Half of 2018 has been and gone (which is beyond crazy), so I thought it might be a good time to meditate on the opera I have seen thus far, focussing in particular on those I have specifically chosen as part of my 2018 Opera Challenge.
Tag: Personal
2017: Kate’s year in review
Yes, it’s that time of year again! Time for me to look back on my opera happenings in 2017. For a year I thought was initially looking rather empty on the opera-front, it seems to have become incredibly jam-packed.
Encore: ‘Kommilitonen!’ – One Year On
“Kommilitonen! Kommilitoninnen!”,
It is hard to believe a year has passed since one of the best weeks I’ve ever had.
Kommilitonen! was something special. I think we all knew that from the very beginning. As soon as Polly Graham said the words ‘promenade’ and ‘site specific production’ in the same sentence, I was hooked. The concept was like all of my Christmases come at once; an opera in a venue with history and character, where the audience move around the theatre space to witness three highly emotive stories, all told simultaneously, and performed by a cast of young singers taking on multiple roles as both soloists and chorus members. It’s exactly the kind of theatre that I love to watch and that I enjoy making. Being involved in such a project, I felt and knew that I was one of the luckiest people on the planet (or, if that’s too grand a statement, at the very least in Wales).
2016: Kate’s year in review
or ‘Opera things what have happened in 2016’…
Disclaimer: in true Kate fashion, I realise how extraordinarily late this post is. I can only apologise that 2016 happened to be full of more operatic opportunities than even I took into account, and, therefore, it’s taken a little longer to get all of my thoughts down… 2017’s resolution is to keep on top of this blog! (although only time will tell on that front).
FOREWORD
Before embarking on the mad but incredible adventure that has been my 2016, it is perhaps apt to reflect a little upon the previous year: at the end of 2015 (despite my hopeful sign off in my end of year review and my desperate attempts at positivity) I was feeling run down, miserable and uncertain of how I was ever going to achieve my dreams of being a creative person. Although 2016 hasn’t come without its trials and tribulations, my goodness have I gotten some of the breaks I wanted (and probably needed). It turns out hard work and a smidgen of luck can really pay off…
2015: Kate’s year in review
I think it’s safe to say that 2015 has been one of my busiest years to date, and almost certainly my most opera-filled. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take a look back at some of my successes, near misses, and great experiences over the past year.
Willetts On Opera 