One day in-person symposium
9:30-4:30pm, Friday 22 March 2024
University of Newcastle
Armstrong Building (Room G.08), Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
Call for participants
We invite music and theatre researchers, professional performers, and representatives of the cultural sector to join an all-day symposium exploring Opera North’s ground-breaking production of Orpheus (2022). The symposium is hosted by Newcastle University’s International Centre for Music Studies.
Orpheus was universally acclaimed for its innovative re-working of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo (1607) into a stylistic confluence of European Baroque and Indian classical styles – with new music by Jasdeep Singh Degun and the creative participation of artists from South Asian and western classical traditions. Behind the opera’s critical success was a complex and sometimes difficult creative process that brought challenges to all the participants.
This symposium seeks to draw out narratives from the inter-cultural production process, evaluate the artistic outcomes, disseminate lessons learned, and consider the implications for future arts policy. Participants include musical co-director, Jasdeep Singh Degun, members of the original cast and production team, representatives from Opera North, SAA-UK and other arts organisations, as well as musicologists Edward Venn (Leeds University) and David Clarke (Newcastle University).
Importantly, we seek to include members of the wider cultural and academic sectors, as well as artistic practitioners, to share findings and join the conversation – hence our invitation to you (there is no requirement to present a formal paper).
The symposium convenes on Friday 22 March, from 9.30 AM to 4.30 PM, in the Armstrong Building of Newcastle University (Room G.08). The symposium fee of £45 (students £25) includes all refreshments and lunch. Places must be booked via the University WebStore: https://webstore.ncl.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/faculty-of-humanities-social-sciences-hass/school-of-arts-and-cultures/opera-norths-orpheus-significance-legacy-futures-a-symposium
Booking closes on Sunday 17 March.
For further information, please contact Prof. David Clarke at Orpheus@newcastle.ac.uk.
With all good wishes
Prof. David Clarke, Dr Bennett Hogg, Jasdeep Singh Degun
Convenors