WHAT do you get if you cross opera singers with Scotland’s brightest indie talents?
We’ll find out on October 19, with the results of a unique collaboration between Scottish Opera and two of the country’s most hotly tipped performers which will put a “unique spin” on their songs.
Four Scottish Opera performers are to create new versions of material by Dundee’s electro-charged Be Charlotte and Carla J Easton, who leads harmony-driven Glasgow four-piece TeenCanteen. The “exciting” results will be revealed in a day of recording and live streaming as part of the BBC Opera Season.
Special content will be broadcast on OperaPassion Day across BBC Two, BBC Four, Radio 3 and BBC Arts Digital. Charlotte Brimner of Be Charlotte, whose debut EP Heart of Survival is released this month following singles success, said she was “excited” at the prospect of reworking her hit One Drop.
She said: “As a vocalist I have huge respect for the enormous talent within opera.
“I’m always keen to embrace new challenges so I’m excited to collaborate with Scottish Opera, and have one of my songs reimagined as a classical piece.”
Meanwhile, Easton has chosen the track Impossible Stuff from her forthcoming solo album.
She said: “I am so honoured to have been invited to collaborate with Scottish Opera on a track.
“My recent work has been a development into orchestration and a further exploration of the power of multiple human voices stacked in harmony to utilise and unite human bodies as an additional instrument in making music, so the opportunity to work with Scottish Opera to continue this exploration is really amazing.”
Vocalists from the culture company include Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduates Hazel McBain and Andrew McTaggart. They will be joined by Lithuanian mezzo-soprano Laura Zigmantaite and Alex Otterburn, who recently performed at the Edinburgh International Festival.
The collaboration is just one aspect of Scottish Opera’s involvement in OperaPassion Day, which will also include a live show from Bowmore on Islay and the reading of three specially commissioned operatic poems by celebrated authors Liz Lochhead, Alexander McCall Smith and Janice Galloway.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here