Playing the harp for York Opera
Last week I played the harp for York Opera’s production of Die Fledermaus. It was York Opera’s 60th Anniversary production so I was really pleased to be asked to play.
In the video above I bring you along with me to see the orchestra pit, and to show you the beautiful Theatre Royal here in York. You can find the transcript below.
I absolutely love playing the harp in the theatre. There’s just something really special about being a part of a show or an opera. It’s definitely in my blood too - my late father, John Warburton, was Musical Director back in the day, and there are still some members of York Opera and the orchestra who remember him. My mum also sang in several productions.
The harp was only in a few numbers, so I had plenty of time to watch what was going on on-stage. I had a limited view of course but I could see a bit.
Playing for a show can make for a tiring week. I was getting home at around 11pm each night, and then up again with my daughter between 6am and 6:30am each morning. Before having a baby I would just rest the morning after a late gig, unfortunately that is no longer an option! I’m grateful to my mum and my husband for stepping in with childcare to enable me to play for these gigs.
Reviews
Some lovely reviews have been written about this production, I’ll link them below:
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Transcript:
For today's video I'm going to bring you along for a week of playing the harp for York Opera's production of Die Fledermaus.
I'll show you a little bit of life in the orchestra pit, what happens during rehearsals, and some of the less glamorous logistics of getting a concert grand pedal harp into a theatre.
Today is the sitzprobe. That's the first time the singers rehearse with the orchestra accompanying them. They'll be sitting down for the rehearsal so they can focus on the music itself – entries, tempos and ensemble. The sitzprobe is when everything starts coming together.
I like to arrive early to get the best parking spot and make sure I have plenty of time to tune before the rehearsal begins. The harp is only in a few numbers in Die Fledermaus, so I brought along a score to follow everything that's going on.
It's always lovely to come and play for York Opera. My father used to be the Musical Director, and there are still people involved who remember him. Since he passed away, I've really treasured hearing their stories and memories of him. It makes me happy to see how fondly he's remembered.
After the sitzprobe it was time to move into the Theatre Royal for dress rehearsals and performances. My harp is actually going to stay in the theatre from Tuesday all the way through to Saturday, which saves a lot of loading and unloading.
Unfortunately there's not much parking outside the theatre, so it's usually a case of pulling up, putting the hazards on and hoping for the best while I unload. This is definitely my least favourite part of playing the harp professionally.
Getting a concert grand pedal harp into a theatre pit can be interesting too. The Musical Director, Ed, very kindly stayed with my car while I wheeled the harp into the theatre, and then I scooted off to find somewhere to park.
A lovely member of staff called Craig helped lift the harp down into the pit, and at that point I knew I could relax. The car was parked, the harp was in position, and we were ready to go.
Something that has really changed since having my daughter is that I don't get the chance to rest on show days in the same way I used to. The show finishes at around 10:30pm, which means I'm usually home by 11pm, but we're still up between 6:30 and 7am the next morning ready to start the day.
On the day of the dress rehearsal we took my daughter out for a nap walk, which was a lovely excuse to get some fresh air and stretch my legs before a long evening in the pit.
When you see a harp in a theatre orchestra, what you don't see are all the logistics behind it. The driving, the parking, the loading and unloading, and occasionally some slightly illegal parking decisions. There's also a surprising amount of waiting around.
Although the harp only plays for a few minutes during the entire three-hour show, they are special moments and the harp is prominent, most of the rest of my evening is spent counting rests and waiting for the next entry.
Fortunately I can see a little bit of the stage from where I'm sitting, so I still get to enjoy parts of the performance.
I was so impressed by the soloists and the chorus. Everyone sounded fantastic, and judging by the reaction at the end, the audience seemed to enjoy it too. There have been some lovely reviews published, I’ll link them below in the description.
One of my favourite things about playing in the pit is the view. I can only see a tiny section of the audience – mostly the feet of the people sitting in the front row. But when the overture starts and I see those feet begin tapping along to the music, I know they're enjoying it.
After all the rehearsals, late nights, driving and harp logistics, there's something really special about being part of a live performance and watching it all come together. It's one of my favourite things to do as a professional harpist.
Die Fledermaus is such a fun operetta full of practical jokes, mistaken identities and lots of champagne - I really enjoyed the whole experience.
Thank you so much for watching and coming along behind the scenes with me this week. If you enjoyed the video, subscribe to the channel, and I'll see you in the next one.
