Scottish opera star Jamie MacDougall joins Royal Conservatoire of Scotland students in a gala performance of Die Fledermaus
Scottish opera star Jamie MacDougall joins Royal Conservatoire of Scotland students in a gala performance of Die Fledermaus
Published: 05/05/2017
One of Scotland’s most well-known opera voices will play a special role in a gala performance of Die Fledermaus, staged as part of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s 170th anniversary celebrations.
Royal Conservatoire alumnus Jamie MacDougall will join students from Scotland’s national conservatoire for the glittering occasion in Glasgow on Friday, May 19.
The gala performance includes a pre-show reception hosted by Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.Guests will be supporting the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s scholarship fund which allows the finest and most talented young artists to study at one of the top three performing arts institutions in the world. Every donation to the scholarship fund has the power to make an immediate and significant impact on students.
Renowned tenor and host of BBC Radio Scotland’s Classics Unwrapped, Jamie said it’s ”˜tremendous’ to work alongside talented students from the Royal Conservatoire’s prestigious Alexander Gibson Opera School. The school has an international reputation for producing outstanding vocalists who perform in opera houses throughout the world.
“The singers I come across at the Royal Conservatoire are of an exceptional standard. I am always greatly impressed with what I hear,” said Jamie who graduated from the BA Musical Studies course at what was the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) in 1987.
“I have judged various competitions at the Royal Conservatoire and it’s amazing to see students progress through their courses. There is something incredible about seeing all that potential and watching it flourish.”
Die Fledermaus, Johann Strauss’ much-loved operetta, brings glamour, intrigue and laughter to the stage in a delightful tale of abundant disguises. It’s a joyous romp of popular melodies, dances, wit and farcical twists and turns. However, dig deeper and it reveals some rather more unsettling themes including marital infidelity and a society on the brink.
Jamie, who will make his Scottish Opera debut in 2018, will play the kilt-clad speaking role of Frosch in the gala performance: “I imagine him as an ex-military type, someone who calls a spade a spade.”
Die Fledermaus, in an English version by Alistair Beaton, is directed by Lee Blakeley an alumnus of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and conducted by Professor Timothy Dean, the Royal Conservatoire’s Head of Opera. Design is by Mark Bouman, lighting by Kieran Kenning with choreography from Kally Lloyd-Jones.
“It’s a great team, very supportive and respectful,” said Jamie.
“I feel like part of the Royal Conservatoire family and I have met so many wonderful people through my experiences there.”
Die Fledermaus gala performance tickets are available at our Box Office.
