Between 2007 and 2017, Britten Pears Arts (previously Aldeburgh Music) ran the Jerwood Opera Writing Programme with Jerwood Arts’ support. It contained a two stage process: a foundation year for composers, writers and directors who wanted to widen their horizons and equip themselves to create contemporary work combining music, theatre, and text; and a fellowship year for teams of creatives to develop new operas.
Composer Tom Coult and writer Alice Birch were selected for one of the 2016/17 Jerwood Opera Writing Fellowships for their project, Violet. The development of Violet has continued and the creative team has grown, and includes Jerwood Arts alumni Rosie Elnile, Set designer (Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries, Jerwood Designer at the Gate Theatre, Live Work Fund) and Cécile Trémolières, Costume designer (Jerwood Designer at the Gate Theatre, Performing Arts Micro Bursary).
We are delighted to see Violet will premiere at Aldeburgh Festival, Snape Maltings Concert Hall, on 3 and 5 June, and will go on to tour at six other venues across the UK. Warm reviews have been flooding in for Violet following the opening at Aldeburgh Festival including from The Guardian, The Stage, The Times and The Telegraph.
Performance Details:
Aldeburgh Festival, Snape Maltings Concert Hall, 3 & 5 June
Sherman Theatre, Cardiff, 8 June
Theatr Clwyd, Mold, 19 June
Hackney Empire, London, 23 June
Buxton International Festival, Buxton, 18 July
Find out More
Read about Jerwood Opera Writing Programme, here.
Book tickets for Violet at Britten Pears Arts here.
