IT'S fairy-tale season at Belfast's Grand Opera House as Opera North return to Belfast with contemporary adaptations of Hansel & Gretel, Cinderella and The Snow Maiden. The Leeds-based award-winning opera company aimS to introduce a new generation of young people to art form – both from the stalls and the stage.
Six talented children, between the ages of seven and 10 from Crumlin-based Gillian Dougan School of Dance will appear in a new production of Rossini's enchanting fairy tale Cinderella on Thursday and Saturday March 16 and 18.
"I love to dance and I can't believe that I will be part of a show in Belfast. We've been working so hard and we hope the audience enjoy the whole show," says excited seven-year-old Antrim girl Grace McGrenaghan.
The local children will perform alongside the professional cast and chorus of Opera North, including two fast-rising international singers who are both making their UK debuts this season: Canadian mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta who sings Angelina (Cinderella), and South African tenor Sunnyboy Dladla, who plays her prince, Don Ramiro.
All three operas share the themes of transformation and magic, brought to life through the inventive use of video –from video captured live on-stage in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, to a Russian folk dream world in The Snow Maiden.
Having made her own stage debut at the Grand Opera House at the age of 11, Belfast-born soprano Aoife Miskelly will make a poignant St Patrick's Day return in the lead role of Rimsky-Korsakov's rarely performed Russian folk fantasy The Snow Maiden.
:: Opera North's fairy tale season runs at the Grand Opera House, Belfast from Wednesday to Saturday March 15 to 18. Tickets are available from Box Office on 028 9024 1919 or online at goh.co.uk
