Opera and Digital Practice

Recent activities

My research is now firmly linked with my private life – so to find out more start from here


Older stuff below

I trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as an opera director. I have worked on about 72 productions (listed below) mainly opera but some drama and musicals. I am still involved with opera but my academic work in artificial voices is now my principal interest. When I can combine the two I am particularly happy and that happens from time to time in my digital practice. The entries below are listed chronologically with the most recent activities at the top.

May 2014 – I am commissioned to complete a chapter in ‘The Business of Opera’ for Ashgate.

May 2013 – I have completed a commission to write a chapter in ‘Essays on Opera and the Media’ for McFarland and Co., Inc

March 2012: The Tingle Factor

With Suzi Digby (Lady Eatwell) University of Cambridge, Professor John Sloboda, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Professor David Howard, University of York I am convening a provocation on ‘The Tingle Factor’ at The University of Cambridge.

During the production of The Magic Flute I worked with colleagues from the Culture Lab at Newcastle University and the Departments of Sociology and Electronics at the University of York on a pilot study for a new project ‘The Tingle Factor.’ We had an article published by ‘The Opera Critic‘ and ‘The Guardian.

I directed The Magic Flute for Co-Opera Co in 2011. In 2012 I was asked to join the board.

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There are lots more photographs here

Prior to that I took a long break from opera while I learnt to be a computer scientist (see research) and digital artist.

Digital Artwork

2008 ‘P.A.T. Testing’ (Newell, C.; S. Andrews and I. Gibson) a one hour performance piece shown at the University of Hull Scarborough Campus.

2008 ‘Please wait with me’ (Newell, C. and S. Andrews). A telephone based installation shown at Sight Sonic in York.

2007 ‘Call Centre’ (Newell, C.; S. Andrews; A. Edwards et al.). A telephone based installation shown at the Digital Music Research Network in Leeds.

2006 Tide’ (Newell, C.; S. Andrews; J. MacDermott et al., 2006). A digital art exhibition exhibited at the British HCI Conference 2006.

2001 – Digital Artist. Sepia Sands. University of Huddersfield research project. Software prototype only. This was an experimental attempt to present the e-shopping experience in a narrative, multimedia environment. Preliminary exploration of the ‘pixel basket’ concept

2001 – Digital Artist. Norman A digital video taster for live web show. Produced using web-cam technology and crude audio sampling.

2000 – Digital Artist. University of Huddersfield research project. Experimental composition tool merging poetry, morse code and chaotically-generated musical bytes.

1997 – Digital Artist. AHRB research and development grant. An online opera. Adapted from the pamphlet by Jonathan Swift.
1996 – Digital Artist. Birmingham Conservatoire. One year funded research project. Web-based music experiment merged Yamaha MIDI XG technology with streaming spoken audio.
1994 – Digital Artist. An early attempt to merge live and digital media. The only technology available was an Atari games console, and a voice modulator/pitch shifter. The show was presented in an historic greenhouse within a London Park in about 110 degrees of summer sun. The computers crashed and the screen images were invisible against the sunlight.

Opera director/assistant director/associate director

2002 – Director: Carmen, Bizet. Diva Opera. European Tour
2002 – Director: La Cenerentola, Rossini. Mid Wales Opera.
– Published as a Newtonian Production Video: [email protected]
2000 – Director. Curlew River, Britten. University of York
1999 – Director: Pierrot Lunaire, Schoenberg. Black Hair, University of York
1999 – Director. A Whitehouse Cantata, Bernstein, Nagano, London Symphony Orchestra
1998 – Director. The Magic Flute. Mozart. Mid Wales Opera

1997 – Director, devisor. Dirty Tricks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ7j2g4HplU&feature=youtu.be
1997 – Director. Salome, Strauss. Bournemouth Orchestras Tour,
1996 – Director. The Tempest, Shakespeare. The Green Room, Manchester
1996 – Director. Noises, Sounds and Sweet Airs, Nyman. Festival di Fano, Italy
1996 – Director. The Turn of the Screw, Britten. Aldeburgh Festival
1996 – Director and Devisor.On the Road with Ron and Ros.
– Arts Council commission.
1995 – Director. Tosca, Puccini. Pavilion Opera International Tour
1995 – Director. Rigoletto, Verdi. Mid Wales Opera.
– Published as a Newtonian Production Video: [email protected]
1995 – Director. The Coronation of Poppea, Monteverdi. Birmingham Conservatoire
1995 – Director. A Midsummer Nights Dream, LSO Sir Colin Davis. Barbican London
1994 – Director. The Merry Widow, Lehar. Pavilion Opera International Tour
1994 – Director. Tales of Hoffman, Offenbach. Mid Wales Opera.
– Published as a Newtonian Production Video: [email protected]
1993 – Director. Blood Wedding, Lorca. Birmingham Conservatoire
1993 – Director. Alice in Wonderland. Carter. Gardner Arts Centre
1993 – Director. Barber of Seville, Rossini. Mid Wales Opera.
– Published as a Newtonian Production Video: [email protected]
1993 – Director. Carmen, Bizet. Pavilion Opera International Tour
1992 – Director. Die Fledermaus, Strauss. Mid Wales Opera.
– Published as a Newtonian Production Video: [email protected]
1992 – Producer. Fungus the Bogeyman, Briggs/Carter. Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
1992 – Director. The Turn of the Screw, Britten. Aldeburgh Festival
1991 – Director. La Pazzia Senile, Banchieri. MMTT at the Purcell Room, South Bank, London
1991 – Director. Into The Woods, Sondheim. Birmingham Conservatoire
1991 – Director. Higglety Pigglety Pop, Knussen. Barbican London
1990 – Director. Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail. Mozart. Pavilion Opera International Tour
1990 – Director. The Bartered Bride, Smetana. The Birmingham Conservatoire
1989 – Director: The Golem workshops. Almeida Festival, London
1989 – Verse coach. The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare. The Peter Hall Company, London
1989 – Associate Director. A Midsummer NightGlyndebourne Festival and Touring Opera
1988 – Director. La Traviata, Verdi. Macau International Festival
1988 – Director. Die Fledermaus, Strauss. Pavilion Opera International Tour
1988 – Assistant Director. The Late Shakespeares Shakespeare. The National Theatre, London
1987 – Adaptation Director. La Traviata, Verdi. Glyndebourne Festival Opera, The Royal Albert Hall, London
1987 – Director. Christopher Columbus, Offenbach. Birmingham Conservatoire
1987 – Associate Director. The Electrification of the Soviet Union, Osborne. Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Tour
1987 – Associate Director. La Traviata, Verdi. Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Tour
1987 – Associate Director. Albert Herring, Britten. Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London
1987 – Director. Die Zauberflote, Mozart. Pavilion Opera International Tour
1987 – Director. The Siege of Rochelle, Balfe. John Lewis Opera, London
1987 – Director. The Devils Wall, Smetana. University College Opera, The Bloomsbury Theatre, London
1987 – Director. Fantastic Mr Fox, Dahl/Carter. Gardener Arts Centre, Brighton
1986 – Director. Phantastes, Barker. The Place Theatre, London
1986 – Director. Cosi Fan Tutte, Mozart. Pavilion Opera Tour
1986 – Associate Director. Porgy and Bess, Gershwin. Glyndebourne Festival Opera
1986 – Associate Director. Higglety Pigglety Pop and Where the Wild Things Are, Knussen. Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Tour
1986 – Associate Director. Albert Herring, Britten. Accademia Philharmonica, Roma
1986 – Director. La Boheme, Puccini. Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon
1986 – Associate Director. Albert Herring, Britten. Summerscope, Queen Elizabeth Hall
1986 – Director. Nabucco, Verdi. Epsom Playhouse
1985 – Director. The Canterville Ghost, Wilde/Barker. Hoxton Hall, London
1985 – Associate Director. Albert Herring, Britten. Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Tour
1985 – Associate Director. The Coronation of Poppea, Monteverdi. Glyndebourne Festival Opera
1985 – Associate Director. A Midsummer Nights Dream, Britten. Glyndebourne Festival Opera
1985 – Director. Hands Across the Sky, Hopkins. London Chamber Opera
1985 – Director. The Marriage Between Zones 3, 4 and 5, Barker. Opera Viva, The Place Theatre, London
1984 – Director. A Midsummer Nights Dream, Britten. Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London
1984 – Director. Ariadne auf Naxos, Strauss. Opera Viva, London
1983 – Assistant Director. Intermezzo, Strauss. Glyndebourne Festival Opera
1983 – Assistant Director. Idomeneo, Mozart. Glyndebourne Festival Opera
1983 – Assistant Director. The Love of Three Oranges, Prokofiev. Glyndebourne Festival Opera
1983 – Director. Opera Scenes. The Wexford Festival, Ireland
1982 – Director. Il Trittico, Puccini. Abbey Opera, London
1982 – Director. The Threepenny Opera, Brecht/Weil. Opera Viva, London
1982 – Director. Don Pasquale, Donizetti. Pavilion Opera Tour
1981 – Director. Cosi Fan Tutte, Mozart. Pavilion Opera Tour
1981 – Director. The Triumph of Virtue, Scarlatti. Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London
1980 – Director. Ariadne auf Naxos, Strauss. Opera Orfeo, London
1979 – Director. L Opera Orfeo, London
1979 – Director. La Serva Padrona, Pergolesi. Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London

Television and video production

1987 – Assistant Stage Director. The Electrification of the Soviet Union, Osborne. BBC broadcast
1986 – Assistant Stage Director. Where the Wild Things Are, Knussen. TVS broadcast and video release. UPC#: 032031445192
1986 – Assistant Stage Director. Higglety Pigglety Pop, Knussen. TVS broadcast and video release. UPC#: 032031445192
1985 – Assistant Stage Director. Albert Herring, Britten. BBC broadcast and video release. ASIN: B0009PQWYY
1986 – Assistant Stage Director. La Traviata, Verdi. BBC broadcast and video release. ASIN: B0000541Y0
1985 – Assistant Stage Director. The Coronation of Poppea, Monteverdi. TVS broadcast and video release. ASIN: B00019HP1M
1986 – Stage Director. Arts Review of the Year. LWT broadcast.
1982 – Stage Director. Songs over the Garden Wall. BBC broadcast

Audio recording

1995 – Stage Director and Dialogue Coach. A Midsummer Night London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis. ASIN: B0000041ET

Digital Arts Practice

2001 – Digital Artist. Sepia Sands. University of Huddersfield research project. Software prototype only. This was an experimental attempt to present the e-shopping experience in a narrative, multimedia environment. Preliminary exploration of the
2001 – Digital Artist. Norman A digital video taster for live web show. Produced using web-cam technology and crude audio sampling.
2000 – Digital Artist. University of Huddersfield research project. Experimental composition tool merging poetry, morse code and chaotically-generated musical bytes.
1997 – Digital Artist. AHRB research and development grant. An online opera. Adapted from the pamphlet by Jonathan Swift.
1996 – Digital Artist. Birmingham Conservatoire. One year funded research project. Web-based music experiment merged Yamaha MIDI XG technology with streaming spoken audio.
1994 – Digital Artist. An early attempt to merge live and digital media. The only technology available was an Atari games console, and a voice modulator/pitch shifter. The show was presented in an historic greenhouse within a London Park in about 110 degrees of summer sun. The computers crashed and the screen images were invisible against the sunlight.