Save the Wales! cry classical celebs
NewsA petition to save Welsh National Opera has been sent to the First Minister and Secretary of Culture in Cardiff, the Culture Secretary in Westminster, and to Keir Starmer and Thangam Debbonaire of the Labour Opposition.
The letter protests cuts by Arts Council England and AC Wales that affect the full-time functionality of Welsh National Opera. Organisers state: ‘The unique nature of the long-standing, bi-national funding agreement for WNO (the majority of the company’s main-scale work takes place in theatres across England) means that urgent intervention from both jurisdictions is necessary.’
The petition is signed by 176 people, among others, Karl Jenkins, Katherine Jenkins, Mike Leigh, Bryn Terfel, Antonio Pappano, Julian Lloyd Webber, Rob Bfrydon, Matthew Epstein, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Vladimir Jurowski, David Pountney and the retired Archbishop of Wales.
In the late 70s Sir Roy Shaw, Chair of the British Council and Mavor Moore, Chair of the Canada Council were in Vancouver on a tour of Canada. I was fairly recently come to Vancouver to manage the Vancouver Opera, which had fallen on hard financial times. Mavor, who had hired me for my first job in performing arts management a decade earlier, introduced me to Sir Roy. A year later, I was in the Crush Bar at Covent Garden and bumped into Sir Roy, who remembered our Vancouver meeting. “Have you been to Cardiff?”, he asked. I hadn’t, and had no plans to, I admitted. “You must go!”, he exclaimed. “It’s our best company!”. I did go, and saw a wonderful “Onegin”, and spent a little time with Brian McMaster. I came home much impressed. When I was leaving Vancouver Opera a few years later, I suggested to the Chair of the Search Committee for my replacement that they go after Brian. They did, and he came tom Vancouver and had a successful run. Though not a celeb, I join the cry to “Save the Wales”!
It won’t make the SLIGHTEST difference. That was made sure of a long time ago.
Katherine Jenkins a celebrity?
That’s arguable – but she IS Welsh!
Yes save the Wales, Willy and Shamu. Let’s put on a benefit show of “Moby Dick” by Jake Heggie.