Scottish Opera's Highlights tour
Scottish Opera's Highlights tours have now become an institution, with four singers and a pianist touring the length and breadth of Scotland twice a year. It gives young artists an opportunity to see many remote parts of Scotland which they will remember for years afterwards. And the enthusiastic audience members drive miles to reach village halls and community centres that will be packed to the rafters.
They perform a programme of arias, duets and ensembles. Some are popular and...
Posted 15 Jan 2026 | Comments
continue reading
Last chance to see the double bill
The second autumn production mounted by Scottish Opera has been a hugely enjoyable double bill of twentieth century musical farces. These are great fun, and it is a pity that there are only four performances scheduled in total. The final one, in Edinburgh, is on 15 November. At the third evening, in Glasgow, the audience had a wonderful time.
Ravel's comedy L'Heure espagnole, while nominally a 'Spanish Hour', in truth has more in common with the classic French farces of Georges Feydeau. ...
Posted 30 Oct 2025 | Comments
continue reading
Excellent revival of La bohème
Scottish Opera's big autumn production, a revival of the Bohème staging from 2017, has now finished its Glasgow run and is off on tour to Aberdeen (30 Oct & 1 Nov), Inverness (6 & 8 Nov) and Edinburgh (14, 16, 18, 20 & 22 Nov). The original production team have returned, along with Stuart Stratford on the podium and Hye-Youn Lee, now a firm favourite with local audiences, repeating her Mimì.
As before, the evening begins in silence, with the chorus, in modern dress, milling about as...
Posted 30 Oct 2025 | Comments
continue reading
Over half a century between visits!
Anyone who attended the superb concert performance of Puccini's at last much admired tragedy Suor Angelica in the Usher Hall on Saturday 16 August will have been delighted by the uniformly high quality of the cast. A succession of healthy youthful voices brought the drama to unforgettable life.
The singer who dominated the first twenty minutes of the work was, however, unlike most of the others, not making her first appearance in Edinburgh.
The Italian mezzo Elena Zilio was singing her...
Posted 20 Aug 2025 | Comments
continue reading