‘I didn’t know contemporary opera existed’

Who knew that opera didn’t die out 150 years ago? I certainly didn’t know that there were composers today still writing opera. It came as a total surprise when I learnt rehearsals were about to begin in Sheffield for an opera written only 10 years ago by a living composer, Jonathan Dove. It had never occurred to me that people might still be writing opera – not least opera in English. I should probably confess at this point that I don’t work in opera or classical music; my day job is in customer services for IKEA and in my free time I sing in Sheffield-based choir, the Abbeydale Singers.

Though my parents met in the Sheffield Chorale and singing is in my blood, I didn’t grow up with opera. In fact, my parents kind of hate it. My Dad calls it ‘diarrhoea’ because of all those ‘dying arias’. When I was 10 I asked to take singing lessons, and from there I sang every day at my secondary school, Lady Manners in Bakewell which at that time was very strong on music. As well as singing in an a Capella group and a choir out of school, every free moment I was singing, completing my grades.

Whereas my peers loved singing musical theatre, I loved the breadth that comes with classical. When my singing teacher invited me to hear him perform in Tosca I was very put out – why hadn’t my teacher been teaching me opera arias all along? From that moment, I knew I wanted to sing opera. This first exposure was followed by a school trip to London to see La Boheme. Again, most of my friends couldn’t understand why I found it so beautiful. Everyone had assumed that opera was for rich people (even though most people in opera aren’t from those backgrounds). In Sheffield we are so lucky that we have the brilliant Opera on Location, which presented La Traviata on the stairs at Waterstones and Don Giovanni in an old factory and, with English Touring Opera moving to the city, we are set to get even luckier.

I was first introduced to Monster in the Maze (an opera retelling of the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur) by Jo Towler from Music in the Round back in February, and I knew I had to participate. I knew of Music in the Round’s presence in Sheffield prior to this event, but I had never had anything to do with the charity myself, nor had I realised what a massive impact they have on the music scene, not only in Sheffield, but across the country. This production of Monster marks Music in the Round’s 40^th Anniversary, and Jo certainly sold it as an event worth being a part of.

Isabel Lovell: 'Though I primarily consider myself to be a playwright, I haven’t ruled out combining my two favourite things to create a musical or, now I know it’s not a dead artform, an opera' © Andy Brown

I didn’t want to listen to the music before attending the first rehearsal because I wanted a fresh first impression, but by the end of the session, I was singing the tunes all the way back home. The music was ingrained in my brain already. Greek mythology has always interested me, and here it was, written as an opera. The music, although quite discordant on the first few listens, is surprisingly catchy. Last Sunday we had our first rehearsal with all the different choirs– children’s, youth and adult choruses – together, and we were all blown away hearing the children coming in with their parts. Seeing the production slowly come together has been an amazing experience. When rehearsals started, the three choruses rehearsed separately, meeting for two hours every Sunday in the middle of Sheffield. It felt so magical to hear it start to come together, to hear how each part fit together to create something larger than the sum of its parts.

Dove’s opera has not only inspired me on a musical level, but a personal one. My other great love in life is writing, and I someday hope to be writing plays. This insight into the way that professional ‘theatre’ is put together has really helped me develop my understanding of the industry, and we will be performing in Sheffield’s Crucible theatre – one of the very stages I aspire to have my own work performed upon. Though I primarily consider myself to be a playwright, I haven’t ruled out combining my two favourite things to create a musical or, now I know it’s not a dead artform, an opera. The creators behind Monster in the Maze have all been so wonderful, answering any questions I have put to them.

The music scene in Sheffield is something else. Although I grew up just under an hour away from the city, I’ve only been living here for a short amount of time, and the number of musical opportunities that I have heard about or participated in over the last year have been incredible. The choirs are so diverse, but have such a wide attendance overlap, with many of my friends singing with two or three different groups. Though each one provides a different kind of experience for singers, many have grouped together over the years for joint concerts to celebrate various anniversaries and events. I think that’s what the music scene in Sheffield is really – a celebration of music of every kind, where singing means joy.

Singing has always brought me such great contentment. I love learning new pieces – even if I don’t like the music, it’s just great to have an exposure to it. Music is such a wonderful part of my life, and I have made so many new friends from it. It really doesn’t matter whether you are any good at singing or not, you can always find the right group of people or the right choir to express that love with. If, one day, I woke up and was mysteriously in charge, I’d want to make Sheffield a cultural hub for music. It’s already well on its way to being one.

Music in the Round's production of The Monster in the Maze takes place on 1 and 2 November. Tickets can be found here.