We’re excited to be running a workshop over the summer holidays for the brilliant local childrens’ charity Jigsaw4u, who we’ve partnered with on a variety of projects since 2016. This summer we will be running a workshop based on our new adaptation of The Elixir of Love including teaching the group to sing a section of The Elixir of Love opera with our new modern English libretto as well writing their own new songs for the characters Nemorino and Dulcamara! We can’t wait to see what they come up with!
The team leading this workshop will be:
Naomi Kilby
Naomi Kilby trained at Birmingham Conservatoire and the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Opera work includes regular chorus and Comprimario roles for Opera Holland Park, and founding Opera Alegrìa, most recently singing Aurora in The Portrait of Manon and Pamina in The Magic Flute. In 2024, Naomi sang the title role in Handel’s Semele with Richmond Opera, and Geraldine in Barber’s A Hand Of Bridge for OHP/Opera Alegrìa. In September, she will perform The WIfe in The Parting with The Music Troupe at the Tête à Tête Opera Festival. Naomi also regularly works with OHP’s award winning Inspire outreach programme, and with the Dementia Charity, Lost Chord. A keen recitalist, Naomi has performed all over the UK and in Europe.
Elspeth Wilkes
Born in Leigh-on-sea, Essex, Elspeth studied at King’s College, London, Trinity College of Music and Royal Academy of Music. She has performed at venues including St John’s Smith Square; Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House; St Martin-in-the-Fields; Kings Place; Trafalgar Studios; Savoy Theatre, West End as well as performing recitals in Greece, Spain, Portugal, France and South Africa. Elspeth has performed at the Ravenna music festival, Italy, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival where she won the ‘Oscar’ award.
Elspeth has worked with BBC Wales, Royal Ballet, Royal Shakespeare Company and Southbank Sinfonia and has performed for HRH The Princess Royal. She also performs regularly for the charities Lost Chord Foundation and Music in Hospitals working with people suffering from dementia. Elspeth has worked as a repetiteur/musical director with many opera companies including Opera up Close (winning an Olivier award for La Boheme), Opera Brava, Merry Opera, Northern Ireland Opera, Kings Head Opera and Opera de Bauge. Elspeth is the conductor of Thurrock Choral Society and assistant conductor of Barnes Choir and is a member of the Bridgetower Ensemble.
Joanna Turner
Joanna is an opera director and theatre maker with a particular passion for re-imagining classics, working in non-traditional theatre spaces and reaching new diverse audiences. Recent credits include: Cosi Fan Tutte (recent Baseless Fabric collaboration with Opera Holland Park), Cosi Fan Tutte (Royal Danish Opera – Revival Director), Carmen (Arcola Theatre & Street Opera, 4 Stars Evening Standard), Die Fledermaus (Arcola Theatre & Street Opera – 4 Stars The Guardian & The Stage), Cosi Fan Tutte (Street Opera – OffWestEnd Award Finalist for Best Opera Production). As a librettist Joanna has adapted and re-written new contemporary English librettos of The Elixir of Love, Carmen, Die Fledermaus and Cosi Fan Tutte for re-imagined productions aimed at reaching new diverse audiences performed promenade in public spaces.
As a workshop practitioner Joanna has created a highly successful programme of Opera Taster Workshops offered to South London schools to give young people a first experience of opera in a fun, engaging way and she also created an After School Opera Club programme, a 7 month project to give a group of young people an indepth creative experience writing and creating their own production inspired by a classic opera. She has also worked as a freelance practitioner with young people at the Orange Tree Theatre, Hackney Music Development Trust, Young Vic Theatre and directed students and non-professional adults at Leeds College of Music, Morley Opera, City Academy and University of Carlisle amongst others.
