We’re looking forward to Roxanna Panufnik’s first opera this summer at Garsington, not least for the community involvement. Here’s what they have just announced:

Garsington Opera’s new commission for the 2017 Season, Silver Birch, will feature over 180 participants from the local community aged 8-80, including students from primary and secondary schools, members of the local military community, student Foley artists under the guidance of Pinewood Studios and members of Wycombe Women’s Aid.

Appearing alongside top professional singers and orchestral players, they will perform as dancers, singers, actors and instrumentalists.

Garsington Opera’s Artistic Director Douglas Boyd will conduct and collaborate with leading British composer Roxanna Panufnik, novelist and journalist Jessica Duchen (librettist), Creative Director of Garsington’s Learning and Participation programme Karen Gillingham (director), movement director Natasha Khamjani, vocal director Suzi Zumpe, designer Rhiannon Newman Brown and video designer Mischa Ying.

 

The Bremen Philharmonic and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana have lost their music director, Markus Poschner, possibly for the rest of the season.

Poschner, 46, injured his shoulder in a car accident while driving home with his family last week. He is hoping to resume work in mid-June but Bremen are saying he is out until further notice. They have called in Jinie Ka as a replacement. NDR Hamburg has replaced him with Robert Trevino and Andrew Gourlay.

No word yet from the Swiss radio orchestra which was, until recently, under threat of abolition.

Poschner is due to leave Bremen later this year to become music director of the Bruckner Orchestra in Linz.

We wish him a speedy recovery.