Music Director: Helen Harrison
Helen Harrison has established a reputation as a vibrant and versatile conductor inspiring exciting and compelling performances from the singers and instrumentalists she collaborates with.
Helen is the Music Director and Conductor for Preston Opera, Blackpool Symphony, Lytham St. Annes Choral Society and the Lancashire Youth Symphony Orchestra and the founder of the Helios Symphony Orchestra. She also works regularly with varied ensembles across the North of England including Flat Pack Music, Salford Choral Society, Blackburn Choral Society and Bolton Catholic Musical and Choral Society, Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra, Blackburn Symphony Orchestra and the New Horizons Concert Orchestra.
Highlights of the forthcoming season include ‘Musical Confusion’ for Leeds Opera Festival hosted by Northern Opera Group, a return performance with the Leeds College of Music Chamber Orchestra, ‘The Music Makers’ with Lytham Choral and Blackpool Symphony Orchestra and ‘Carmen’ with Preston Opera.
Helen read Music at Cambridge University and studied Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music. She was recently selected to participate in a Conducting for Opera workshop run by the Royal Opera House, the National Opera Studio and the Royal Philharmonic Society, working with conductors including Alice Farnham, Sian Edwards, Jane Glover and Jessica Cottis. She has also taken part in International Conducting Masterclasses held at the RNCM with Clark Rundell, Mark Heron, Nicolas Pasquet, Gergeley Madaras, Matthew Wood and Morten Wensberg.
Helen is the Music Director and Conductor for Preston Opera, Blackpool Symphony, Lytham St. Annes Choral Society and the Lancashire Youth Symphony Orchestra and the founder of the Helios Symphony Orchestra. She also works regularly with varied ensembles across the North of England including Flat Pack Music, Salford Choral Society, Blackburn Choral Society and Bolton Catholic Musical and Choral Society, Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra, Blackburn Symphony Orchestra and the New Horizons Concert Orchestra.
Highlights of the forthcoming season include ‘Musical Confusion’ for Leeds Opera Festival hosted by Northern Opera Group, a return performance with the Leeds College of Music Chamber Orchestra, ‘The Music Makers’ with Lytham Choral and Blackpool Symphony Orchestra and ‘Carmen’ with Preston Opera.
Helen read Music at Cambridge University and studied Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music. She was recently selected to participate in a Conducting for Opera workshop run by the Royal Opera House, the National Opera Studio and the Royal Philharmonic Society, working with conductors including Alice Farnham, Sian Edwards, Jane Glover and Jessica Cottis. She has also taken part in International Conducting Masterclasses held at the RNCM with Clark Rundell, Mark Heron, Nicolas Pasquet, Gergeley Madaras, Matthew Wood and Morten Wensberg.
President: Stuart StratfordIn March this year, Preston Opera appointed a new President in the person of Stuart Stratford. Stuart hails from Preston, but read music at Trinity College, Cambridge, studying conducting with David Parry. He was appointed Music Director of Scottish Opera in 2015. In the UK, Stuart has conducted for English National Opera, Opera North, Welsh National Opera, Birmingham Opera Company and Buxton Festival, as well as Scottish Opera. In addition, before he became a professional, he actually conducted for Preston Opera, so many longstanding members remember him well.
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Secretary: Diane MackleyDiane grew up singing and performing at every available opportunity. She joined PO in 2002, to sing the role of Pamina in ‘The Magic Flute’ and since then has sung the roles of Manon (Massenet’s ‘Manon’), Belinda (Purcell’s ‘Dido & Aeneas’) and Papagena (‘Magic Flute’, 2016). She cut her musical ‘teeth’ singing all the lead G & S soprano roles with the Hoghton Players in Southport and over (many) years, has sung other opera roles including Susanna and Cherubino (‘Marriage of Figaro’), Despina (‘Cosi fan Tutte’), Tatiana (‘Eugene Onegin’), Queen of Night (‘Magic Flute’) and Adele (‘Die Fledermaus’). She currently studies singing with Jane Irwin.
Diane also enjoys directing – having directed five shows for PO (all very lively productions!) and will be Director for both the ‘Mozart Mash-Up’ in December and PO’s forthcoming production of Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ in 2020. |
Chairman: Kevin Hesketh |