Opera Scotland

Actéon and Burns to Bernstein

Posted 25 Mar 2015

Exciting news of Ayrshire Opera Experience. In association with the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, they are to make their debut tour, bringing both the first translation of Actéon into the Scots language and in addition a concert of songs and arias featuring works from Burns to Bernstein.

With a strong cast, a chorus of twenty-two, and some talented instrumentalists, the performances promise a memorable experience.

Actéon Meets Tam O' Shanter is a reworking of the chamber opera Actéon by one of the most important French composers of his generation, Marc-Antoine Charpentier. This ground-breaking piece merges Scots language with French baroque opera and Greek mythology, retelling the story of a young hunter, who like Tam O' Shanter stumbles across an illicit vision. Unfortunately for him, Actéon was not as lucky to escape the dark forces, who under many guises punish voyeuristic men.

Burns to Bernstein offers a mixture of opera, musical theatre and Burns. The programme will include works by Handel, Bizet, Bernstein, Noel Coward and Irving Berlin, and will showcase some of Scotland's rising opera stars, including local singers Aimee Toshney (English National Opera), David Douglas (Les Arts Florissants), Siobhan McAuley (West End Vocal Coach), Colleen Nicoll (Trinity Conservatoire of Music), Alison McNeill (winner of the the Andres Segovia Spanish Song Prize) and Alexandra Shrinivas (Aberdeen University).

Look at our listings then click through the pin of your choice and book your tickets here.

As their next step, David Douglas's team is hosting a workshop in August to develop a further staging - from another work by Charpentier, the Descent of Orpheus to the Underworld. Read more about it here.