Despite the current restrictions, you can still get your culture fix over the coming weeks, whether you prefer to watch opera, listen to music, or master something new.
Watch a Performance
There’s still time to catch Britten’s The Turn of the Screw online if you fancy sending some shivers down your spine – available to watch for free until 22 February.
Alternatively, why not fill your free time by watching the whole of the Ring cycle – that’s over 15 hours of opera! Remember to get a handle on the characters and plot beforehand using The Ring Cycle in a nutshell guide which contains all the essentials about Wagner’s masterpiece.
Mati Turi as Siegfried in Opera North's production of Wagner's Gotterdammerung (2016) © Clive Barda
Learn to Sing
If you want to be the one doing the singing, our popular From Couch to Chorus will be returning soon with a chance to master some operatic repertoire from the comfort of your own living room.
Perfect for both keen singers missing their usual choir sessions and novices who have barely sung a note before, this is a fun, accessible way to learn something new under the guidance of a professional choral director. Watch this space for further details.
This month also sees the launch of Step Into Singing, a series of free fortnightly sessions for people living with chronic pain.
Opera North After Hours at Headrow House (2019) © Tom Arber
Walk to Music
Bring some rhythm to your daily walk with our series of five sound journeys, composed and recorded by musicians during the first lockdown for BBC Arts and Arts Council England’s Culture in Quarantine programme.
Each piece was composed with a particular place or time in mind – and each was created specifically for people to enjoy on headphones while exploring, and making new connections with, their local neighbourhood.
Opera North Walking Home features new compositions by Martin Green, Abel Selaocoe, Alice Zawadzki, Maya Youssef and Khyam Allami
Listen to a Podcast
Podcasts enable you to find out more about things which interest you while on the go or over your favourite brew.
Opera North’s latest is Dead ‘n’ Wake: Reset and Come Again, which explores Jamaican heritage through the work of Leeds-based turntablist and sound artist Nicole Raymond (DJ NikNak) and poet, playwright and literary activist Khadijah Ibrahiim. Meanwhile, our Thinking with opera series looks at violence with Professor Griselda Pollock – or you can visit the more ribald world of carnival with Professor Alan O’Leary and Daniel Norman.
Listen and subscribe on Spotify » and Apple Podcasts »
Spoken word artist Khadijah Ibrahiim who features on the Dead 'n' Wake podcast © Leeds Playhouse
Wise Up on Opera
If you’ve always wanted to find out more about opera but never had the time, lockdown could provide the opportunity to gen up on this exciting artform ready to impress family and friends with your new-found knowledge when restrictions ease. You could even host an opera quiz using a suitable theatrical scene as your Zoom backdrop!
We’ve put together an A-Z of Opera and A Brief History of Opera which will supply you with all the basics, and then you might like to explore individual operas through our … in a nutshell series.
Amy J Payne as Olga Olsen, John Savournin as Carl Olsen, Claire Pascoe as Emma Jones and Richard Mosley-Evans as George Jones in rehearsal © Tom Arber
Support Opera North
As a charity, Opera North relies on donations to ensure that we can continue producing new and diverse work. You can help us use music to bring people together, now and in the future.
