English composer Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen is pure musical theatre – but it’s baroque, not Broadway!

Purcell’s semi-opera, first performed in 1692, is a series of musical masques, or scenes, that were set into an anonymous 17th-century rewrite of Shakespeare’s wedding comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The arias and choruses in The Fairy Queen feature a rich cast of supernatural and human characters: nymphs, gods and goddesses, the spirits of the seasons, and the inevitable inebriated poet.  Sing, learn, dance a little, have fun, and perform for family and friends at a concert with orchestra at the end of the workshop.

Full program - $220.00 (2.30 – 9.30) and evening only - $160.00 (7 – 9.30) options available.

 

All are welcome at the workshop’s closing performance of selections from Purcell’s The Fairy Queen at 7 pm, Saturday, July 7 at St. Mary the Virgin Church, Oak Bay.

Performance is about one hour in length, and entry is by donation.