Community
31 July, 2024
International tenor headlining Winter Soiree
THE Robert Burns Celtic Festival Committee will be hosting a winter soiree in Naroghid tonight.
Dr John and Carolyn Menzies are hosting the event at Wurrong Cottage at 132 Naroghid Road, Camperdown, with International Scottish tenor Alan Beck, Camperdown Lakes and Craters Band musical director Jane McSween on piano and Pomborneit flutist Howlin’ Wind performing from 6.30pm.
Dr Menzies said having Alan Beck perform in Camperdown will round off what has been a successful Robert Burns Celtic Festival.
“Mr Beck is in Australia and performing at the Melbourne Tartan Festival. Tenor Alan Beck studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama,” he said.
“He later won the entrance scholarship to the Postgraduate Opera Course at the Royal Northern College of Music.
“In 1995 Alan won the British Wagner Society Singing Competition at Covent Garden and was subsequently awarded the society’s Bayreuth Bursary.
“Later that year, he also won the Wolfgang Wagner Singing Competition in London in front of Dr Wagner and Dame Gwyneth Jones.”
Dr Menzies said Mr Beck has been a principal tenor with the State Opera of Stuttgart from 1996 to 2002.
“Alan has also sung principal tenor roles for Lyric Opera Dublin and the Carl Rosa Opera and in 2002 he made his début as Siegmund in Wagner's Die Walküre at the London Coliseum for English National Opera,” he said.
“Most recently he has been busy singing with Welsh National Opera as Bacchus in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos and appearing as Eisenstein in Haddo House Opera’s 60th anniversary production of Die Fledermaus.
“Alan has sung all over the world - throughout Australia, New Zealand, South America, USA, Canada and Europe as well as in the UK and all over Scotland.
“Alan is also a keen composer and has had three children's musicals commissioned by Creative Scotland. His latest composition was chosen to close Education Scotland's launch of the new National Framework for Singing at the Royal Concert Hall and was performed by over 2000 children.”
Also performing on flute is Howlin’ Wind, the international flute player and composer.
Dr Menzie described Howlin’ Wind as “Australia’s most innovative and expressive exponent of the flute”.
“Howlin’ aims to give the flute a far more vocal, more passionate, and vastly more expressive sound through his own composition, performances, and recordings,” he said.
“His flute compositions have been used in many films and TV series, including Peter Garret’s Shoalhaven Bay, Fred Hollows’ Life and Times, Channel Nine TV series Ray Martin Gallipoli Special, many Brian Naylor’s Travel Shows, Getaway, The Great Outdoors and many of Burkes Backyard Films.
“Howlin’ recorded six albums for Sony Music which became major sellers on the Sony Masterworks Label. He is also the author of a highly respected recorder tuition book “Recorder Technique”.
“Howlin’s music combines sophisticated classical traditions with earthy folk roots and an implicit understanding of Australia’s indigenous song lines.”
Dr Menzies said the soiree will begin with a three-course meal accompanied by wine, with performers to take to the stage afterwards.
“This evening is an opportunity for the Robert Burns Celtic Festival to thank the festival sponsors and another opportunity to Showcase International performers who perform in Camperdown,” he said.
Tickets are $40 per person and can be purchased via trybooking.com/CTQUO or by contacting festival co-ordinator Catherine O’Flynn on 0407 056 126.