Musicians from Glyndebourne and the Royal Opera House performed at two different charity concerts in Rye on Saturday, November 30. St Mary’s Church played host to a fundraiser for Rye Harbour Sailability, while at the creative centre two hundred people enjoyed an evening of opera arias in aid of Rye Lawn Tennis Club.
In St Mary’s an audience of over a hundred people heard professional singers Thomasin Trezise, Philip Smith and Paul Hopwood perform a selection of some of the most celebrated duets and operas.
Sheila Davison from Rye Harbour Sailability praised the trio’s performance. “They have a uniquely relaxed and entertaining style – it was like a little piece of the Royal Opera House came to Rye. One highlight was Verdi’s Drinking Song, which had the audience joining in the fun.”
“As the key fundraising event of the year for Rye Harbour Sailability, we are thrilled to announce that thanks to the generosity of all who attended, the charity raised over £2,000. These funds will enable us to continue helping people with disabilities to get on the water at Rye Harbour, and help towards our exciting new project – the purchase of a Wheelyboat, will allow wheelchair users to join us on the water.”
The same evening the performance space at Rye Creative Centre was packed for another evening of opera. The concert was put together by pianist and conductor Oliver Gooch, featuring Australian soprano Anita Watson, Scottish tenor Michael Gibson, Josef Jeongmeen Ahn a Korean baritone, and Monika Evelin Liiv – the Estonian mezzo soprano making a return to Rye after singing at the Tennis Club’s Opera Evening several times, including the first in 2010.
With music from Bizet, Rossini, Rachmaninov and many others, the evening finished with all four musicians performing part of Rigoletto by Verdi to enthusiastic applause.
The opera concert was the fifteenth organized by Rye Lawn Tennis Club. Chairman Jonathan Jempson praised the musicians for the quality of their performance and confirmed the musicians would return in 2025. “I’m delighted to say we will have a sixteenth concert next year, though the location is yet to be decided due to the uncertain future of this building.” Plans to demolish Rye Creative Centre and proposals for new housing were confirmed by Martello Developments last year.
You can find more about Rye Lawn Tennis Club at https://ryelawntennisclub.org.uk/
For more information about Rye Harbour Sailability please visit www.ryeharboursailability.org.
Image Credits: Roger Wray , Sheila Davison .