Central’s Principal, Students and Graduates Help Bring Pegasus Opera Company’s Double Bill to Life
In April, Central students and graduates worked on the Pegasus Opera Double Bill of Roman Fever and The Human Voice, conducted by Rebecca Tong and under the direction of Central’s Principal Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE.
The Operas, presented by Pegasus Opera Company and Hagemann Rosenthal Associates, featured gripping female stories and were led by an all-female cast and creative team.
The UK operatic premiere of Roman Fever, with libretto and music by Philip Hagemann and based on a short story by acclaimed American writer Edith Wharton, starred Bernadine Pritchett and Pegasus Opera’s Artistic Director Alison Buchanan. The Human Voice (La Voix Humaine), composed by Francis Poulenc and based on the play by Jean Cocteau, starred Nadine Benjamin MBE.
Both were performed at the Royal Academy of Music’s Susie Sainsbury Theatre from 12 April – 14 April.
Alongside Principal Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE who directed the double bill, several Central students and graduates undertook key roles in the creative team. These included Production Manager Sean Laing, Stage Manager on book Heather Smith, Costume Supervisor Sophie Andrews, Set and Costume Designer Peiyao Wang and Production Electrician Graeme Smith. Current Student Nell Golledge also worked as the Lighting Designer for the double bill.
Speaking of directing with Pegasus Opera Company on the double bill, Principal Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE said:
“It was a delight to be invited to direct at Pegasus, especially two such brilliant operas. The red lie of love, madness and human relationships – was a wonderful opportunity to remind us of the funniest, but darkest moments of who we are. The female gaze and centring that voice is timely. I am doubly proud to have worked with so many brilliant colleagues, many of whom are artists that graduated from Central. Couldn’t be better!”
Pegasus Opera Company is a London, UK based professional opera company with a family of widespread artists, participants and supporters. The company produces high-quality performances and balances this with a focus on artist development, with an eye to promoting the talents of emerging artists of global majority heritage and supporting them on eminent platforms of note and significance. The Company has held on to its founder Lloyd Newton’s ethos of ‘harmony in diversity’. Pegasus Opera were awarded National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) status by Arts Council England which is an acknowledgment that the company are leaders in their field with a collective responsibility to protect and develop the national arts and cultural ecology through its programmes. Pegasus Opera showcases artists, challenges audience perceptions, and advocates for inclusion and positive change. Since its inception, Pegasus has a remarkable history of producing full scale operas and concerts. Pegasus Opera champions diverse composers and celebrates music of the black diaspora.
Find out more about Pegasus Opera Company and the double bill performances of Roman Fever and The Human Voice by visiting the Pegasus Opera Company Website.
Hear more from the students and graduates who worked on the double bill – in their own words – on the Central blog, and in the videos below.
