Opera Company The National Gilbert &

The National G&S Opera Company took to the stage at the second Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in Buxton Opera House in 1995 and quickly established itself as the festival’s resident professional company. Over the years, it has developed into one of the finest professional G&S companies with outstanding casts and directors.

For our 2023 season, the directors are Sarah Helsby Hughes (The Mikado) and Simon Butteriss (The Yeomen of the Guard and The Pirates of Penzance). Murray Hipkin conducts the National Festival Orchestra.

Sarah Helsby Hughes is a freelance soprano soloist and opera director based in Cheshire. She trained at the Birmingham Conservatoire of Music.

Sarah’s career has taken her around the world, appearing for many opera companies, including Mid-Wales Opera, Carl Rosa Opera, Lyric Opera Dublin, D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, Opera North, Opera Ireland, Pavilion Opera, Focus Opera and Birmingham Touring Opera. Concert work includes all the major oratorio soprano solos, appearing in Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the UK.

Sarah has been the Artistic Director of Heritage Opera since 2011. Productions for HO include Dido and Aeneas, The Magic Flute, Die Fledermaus (co-translated with Nick Sales), HMS Pinafore, Tosca, Così fan tutte, Carmen (also translated), Madame Butterfly, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, Rigoletto (also translated) Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Bohème and La traviata.

In 2022, Sarah directed the National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company’s production of The Pirates of Penzance to great acclaim, and we cannot wait to see her brand-new production of The Mikado this year.

Simon Butteriss DIRECTOR

THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE NGSOC

Simon Butteriss is a very busy man at this year’s festival. Not only is he directing The Yeomen of the Guard and The Pirates of Penzance, but he will also star as Ko-Ko in The Mikado, Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard and the Major General in The Pirates of Penzance.

Simon also presents and stars in the “Best of Gilbert & Sullivan” concert in the Opera House on Friday, 4 August at 7.30 pm. Don’t miss this fabulous evening with all your favourite songs. It’s a treat!

Simon has sung the G&S patter roles at the Savoy, the BBC Proms, with the D’Oyly Carte, Carl Rosa, NGSOC and with many other companies and numerous major orchestras throughout the world. He was in Mike Leigh’s Oscar-winning Topsy-Turvy, wrote the G&S television series, A Motley Pair, the George Grossmith biopic A Salaried Wit, the BBC Radio drama series I am the very Model; he played Grossmith in A Song to Sing O!, The Patter Man in Nightmare Songs, has recorded Bunthorne/ Patience (D’Oyly Carte) and Grossmith’s Cups and Saucers (Retrospect Opera). As an actor, he has appeared in the West End, The Old Vic, with the RSC, at Chichester and in film, television and radio. In Opera, he has sung roles at major opera houses across the world, from La Scala, Milan to English National Opera.

“Now as irreplaceable as his famous D’Oyly Carte forebears in the comic baritone roles”.

HUGH CANNING, OPERA, 2021

“The name Simon Butteriss is a joyous guarantee of both musical and comic quality and here he was a delight”. THE NEWS

“Director Simon Butteriss.....is my nomination for greatest living Englishman. He stands in the great line of George Grossmith, Henry Lytton, Martyn Green and John Reed”. DAILY MAIL

The National Festival Orchestra

The National Festival Orchestra accompanies all the performances in Buxton Opera House and has played at every festival since the first in 1994. Orchestra leader Sally Robinson is proud of its achievements and the outstanding reviews they have received.

Based in the north of England, NFO has built up a reputation for compelling performances across various genres– from symphonic and operatic repertoire to the world of West End and Broadway shows.

Singing from the Gallery

You can experience the Festival’s special feature “Singing from the Gallery” every Saturday evening before the show. The audience is the chorus, led by the Festival’s music director. Now is your chance if you enjoy a jolly good singalong. But don’t worry if you don’t know the words or don’t want to sing – just soak up the unique atmosphere. It’s what they used to do before every Gilbert & Sullivan performance more than a hundred years ago.

“….the playing, by the festival’s own National Festival Orchestra, was unimpeachable”

“The National Festival Orchestra plays stylishly and the choruses and other big scenes go with a swing.”

DAILY MAIL 2022

Book your tickets now Box Office: 01298 72190 www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk www.gsfestivals.org

MURRAY HIPKIN - CONDUCTOR

NATIONAL GILBERT & SULLIVAN OPERA COMPANY

We are delighted to welcome Murray Hipkin, making his debut as conductor for the National G&S Opera Company this year.

Murray Hipkin studied at the University of York, GSMD and the National Opera Studio before joining the music staff of English National Opera for five seasons. After a period working for Opéra de Lyon, La Monnaie, Opera Factory, Scottish Opera and, as musical director, for Opera Brava, he returned to ENO in 1995, where he has played and assisted on numerous productions including, most recently, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Yeomen of the Guard, Gloriana, The Rhinegold, Akhnaten, The Dead City and Blue.

For ENO he has conducted The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, The Gondoliers, Kismet, Carousel, Chess and Man of la Mancha, and he was assistant conductor and chorus master on Sweeney Todd and Sunset Boulevard. Other conducting includes La bohème (Surrey Opera, Opera Box), Salieri Falstaff, Haydn La vera costanza, Mozart Apollo and Hyacinth and Gluck Le cinesi (Bampton Classical Opera), and, while on sabbatical from ENO, over 170 performances of The Sound of Music at the London Palladium. His work with composer John Adams includes conducting on location for the Channel 4 film The Death of Klinghoffer and assisting on Nixon in China at the BBC Proms and the Berlin Philharmonie. He has been musical director of the North London Chorus since January 2003, and of the Pink Singers, Europe’s longest-running LGBT choir, since November 2010. In 2022 he appeared as music supervisor and coach in the Sky Arts/ENO/Factory Films reality series Anyone Can Sing.

Murray Hipkin is a member of English National Opera and appears by permission.

LEE WOOD HOTEL (PACKAGES INCLUDE DINNER)

The delightful Best Western Lee Wood Hotel is the only 4-star hotel in Buxton and is the perfect choice for your stay during the Festival. Situated only a five-minute walk from the Opera House it is the ideal location.

Each room comes with a flat screen TV with Freeview and a Smart TV Box, so you can make yourself at home by logging into your own apps such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer. Rooms include telephone, hairdryer, complimentary toiletries and tea and coffee making facilities.

The accommodation packages in this hotel include a full English breakfast and a three-course pretheatre dinner in the award-winning Lazy Gardener Restaurant.

PACKAGES ARE ONLY AVAILABLE ON THE FOLLOWING DATES AND INCLUDE FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST AND PRE-THEATRE DINNER:

PACKAGE 1 (4 NIGHTS)

BOOKING REF: LW/401

Arrival - 29 July

Departure - 2 August

Cost per person in a twin/double room: £770

Single supplement: £42 Per night

Opera House Tickets included (dress circle) – The Mikado (NGSOC), The Yeomen of the Guard (NGSOC), The Sorcerer (New London Opera Group), The Gondoliers (Peak Opera)

Plus, 2 morning fringe tickets, 2 matinee tickets in the Pavilion Arts Centre, 2 Classical Pops tickets, souvenir programme, 4 Festival Club tickets.

PACKAGE 2 (3 NIGHTS)

BOOKING REF: LW/302

Arrival - 7 August

Departure - 10 August

Cost per person in a twin/double room: £620

Single supplement: £42 Per night

Opera House Tickets included (dress circle) – HMS Pinafore (Bus Pass Opera), Iolanthe (Brussels Light Opera Company, The Yeomen of the Guard (NGSOC), Plus, 1 morning fringe ticket, 1 matinee in the Pavilion Arts Centre, 1 Classical Pops tickets, souvenir programme, 3 Festival Club tickets.

PACKAGE 3 (3 NIGHTS)

BOOKING REF: LW/303

Arrival - 10 August

Departure - 13 August

Cost per person in a twin/double room: £620

Single supplement: £42 Per night

SOLD OUT!

Opera House Tickets included (dress circle) – Ruddigore (SavoyNet Performing Group), The Mikado (NGSOC), The Yeomen of the Guard (NGSOC) The Pirates of Penzance (NGSOC)

Plus, 1 morning fringe ticket, 1 Classical Pops tickets, souvenir programme.

De-luxe room upgrade is available for £40 per room, per night

Packages

Accommodation

THE OLD HALL AND THE PALACE HOTEL (BED AND BREAKFAST ONLY)

Packages in the Old Hall and the Palace Hotel are on a bed and breakfast basis and prices are listed in the grid below. You can select any nights you want to stay on the order form and choose the shows you wish to see. Bookings can also be made online at www.gsfestivals.org or by phone: 01422 323252.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

3-night packages include: Standard room on a bed and breakfast basis; 3 best theatre tickets in the Opera House (dress circle); 1 ticket to a matinee in the Pavilion Arts Centre; 1 morning fringe ticket; 1 Classical Pops ticket, souvenir programme, 3 Festival Club tickets.

4-night packages include: Standard room on a bed and breakfast basis; 4 best theatre tickets in the Opera House (dress circle); 2 tickets to a matinee in the Pavilion Arts Centre; 2 morning fringe tickets; 2 Classical Pops tickets, souvenir programme, 4 Festival Club tickets.

7-night packages include: standard room on a bed and breakfast basis; 6 best theatre tickets in the Opera House (dress circle); 3 tickets to a matinee in the Pavilion Arts Centre; 4 morning fringe tickets; 3 Classical Pops tickets, souvenir programme, 7 Festival club tickets.

Price per person in a twin/double room

3 Night Package £520 £575

4 Night Package £650 £710

7 Night Package £980 £1100

Single supplement (in a double room for sole occupancy) per night: The Palace - £55 per night/The Old Hall - £50 per night

The Old Hall – Room upgrades are available on request, subject to availability.

Packages

THE OLD HALL (BED AND BREAKFAST BASIS IN A STANDARD ROOM)

The historic Old Hall Hotel, just across from the Pavilion Gardens and the Opera House, is reputed to be the oldest hotel in England. Part of the current building was built by Bess of Hardwick’s 4th husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury, for Mary Queen of Scots when she came to take the waters in Buxton in the 16th Century.

Renowned for its originality, The Old Hall has over thirty unique bedrooms; each bedroom consisting of an en-suite bathroom, TV and radio, writing desks, hairdryers, telephones and hospitality trays.

The Palace Hotel

(BED AND BREAKFAST ONLY)

Since 1868, the Palace Hotel has been an important building in the spa town of Buxton. Situated in over five acres of landscaped gardens, the hotel is a fiveminute walk from the Opera House.

The Palace Hotel has many on-site facilities for guests to enjoy. The hotel has a health and leisure club (small fee applies) with an indoor pool, gym, spa, sauna and steam rooms. The hotels spacious en-suite bedrooms have tea and coffee making facilities, TV and hairdryer. Wi-Fi is available free of charge in public areas and there is a 24-hour reception for your convenience.

The Festival Fringe

We have a jam-packed Festival fringe to enjoy morning, noon and night.

Our morning talks take place at 10.30 am in the function room on the first floor of the Old Club House next door to the Opera House. A varied programme offers something for everyone, from introductions to the operas to weekends spent at Balmoral Castle. Find details on the schedule pages.

Classical Pops

Enjoy the Classical Pops recitals every lunchtime at 1.00 pm. Spend a delightful forty minutes with our talented singers in the Old Cub House function room. Tickets £7.50.

UNIFest

The Pavilion Arts Centre is the venue for UNIFest and other full-scale matinee productions, including Harrogate Gilbert & Sullivan Society, Opera North Youth, Grosvenor Light Opera Company and the Festival Youth Production.

Memorabilia Fair, 5 August 10.00 am-5.00 pm

Don’t miss the Festival Memorabilia Fair in the Octagon Foyer. It’s a great place to meet collectors and browse all things G&S, from old recordings, scores, china more.

Coach Trips

Visit Chatsworth House on Wednesday 2 August and Haddon Hall on Wednesday 9 August.

Book your tickets now Box Office: 01298 72190 www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk

This year, six societies will compete for the prestigious International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival Champions Trophy and other awards. The adjudicator is Stephen Turnbull, Secretary of the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society.

The Awards ceremony will take place on Friday, 11 August at 5.30 pm in the Pavilion Arts Centre and will be live-streamed on Facebook for those unable to attend. Awards will be presented for:

Best Male / Female Actor

Best Male / Female voice

Best MD / Director

Adjudicator’s special award

Festival Runners-up - Prize £500

Festival Champions - Prize £1000

UNIFest Runners-up - Prize £200

UNIFest Champions - Prize £500

We are delighted that Theatrical Adventures River Cruises will sponsor the Award Ceremony and prizes.

For more information about Theatrical Adventures holidays or for a copy of the 2023/24 brochure call 01422 323252 or go online at www.theatricaladventures.com.