THE JOURNEY BEGINS - SONGS OF LONGING & THE OPEN ROAD

Thurs 12 November 2026 – 7:30pm
Clonterbrook Music Room Series

This immersive experience is the concept of Baritone Jordan Harding, born and brought up in Congleton. ‘The Journey Begins’ is a pilot in a series of 5 concerts conceived to take place in the Georgian Music Room at Clonterbrook House, converted from an old shippon, by the late Derek Lockett, just outside the village of Swettenham Heath, only 10 minutes from the centre of Congleton.

The format evokes the atmosphere of a salon or Liederabend (An evening of song) rather than a traditional chamber recital.

A multidisciplinary series featuring music, spoken word and a defining visual artwork for each concert.

Each recital is built around a single, evocative concept.

Please note that the Music Room at Clonterbrook is located just after or before the bend approaching Clonter Opera Theatre, on the opposite side of the road.

The programme will include:

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel 
Robert Louis Stevenson: Walking Tours (spoken extract)
Ludwig van Beethoven: An die ferne Geliebte 
Frederic Keel: Three Salt-Water Ballads 
Robert Frost: The Road Not Taken (spoken)

Image credit – Wanderer above the Sea of Fog – Caspar David Friedrich

Jordan Harding

British baritone Jordan Harding studied Music at the University of Manchester before completing a Master’s in Vocal Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music. He has since performed across the UK and Europe, including as a member of the Opera Studio at the Nationaltheater Mannheim, where his roles have included Moralès (Carmen), Barone Duophol (La Traviata), Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas), Gasparo (Rita), and Roman Cycowski in the theatre’s acclaimed production of Comedian Harmonists. In the UK, Jordan has appeared with companies including Clonter Opera, singing Papageno (The Magic Flute) and Mr. Gedge (Albert Herring). Alongside his work in opera, he is an active concert and recital singer with a particular passion for English song and the Great American Songbook. Jordan enjoys sharing his love of music and its history and is delighted to return to Clonter as compère for OperaFest. Later this year, he will make his debut at Theater Bonn before returning to Comedian Harmonists in Mannheim in 2027.