A long awaited Opera Soirée

As many of you are aware, bdb first became a corporate sponsor of Opera North in 2019, which is when we held our last ‘big’ event. The global pandemic meant we were unable to host any events with Opera North in 2020 but we maintained our corporate sponsorship as we felt it was more important than ever to support them, as they, along with many other arts organisations, were adversely affected by the numerous restrictions and lockdowns. 

After a long wait, as things slowly returned to ‘normal’ we decided to begin planning for a collaborative autumn event with Opera North which we finally hosted in November. The exclusive evening was held at the beautiful Bowcliffe Hall where our guests were treated to a special musical programme, put together just for bdb.

The grandeur of the ballroom – with its beautiful decor, soft lighting, and chandelier – was enhanced by the addition of a stunning grand piano. The intimate performance included exceptional vocal pieces by Themba Mvula and Amy J Payne, accompanied by the extremely talented pianist, Martin Pickard. The repertoire was made up of pieces from a variety of operas, including Carmen, Orfeo ed Euridice and Don Giovanni. 

While Martin and Amy have long been part of the Opera North family, this event was a great ‘warm up’ for Themba, who makes his role debut as Marullo in Opera North’s new production of Rigoletto in January 2022. We felt very lucky to see him in action prior to this. 

The evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all and was well worth the wait. After so long it was even more special to come together with others, catch up over a glass of fizz and enjoy an evening of stunning music.