TOSCA

Steve Elias – Director

His recent directing credits include the European premiere of Mo Willams award winning musical Elephant and Piggie – We Are In A Play. Choreographic/Movement Director credits include; Our Dancing Town (BBC2 / Twenty Twenty – RTS Winner of Best Observational Documentary) Save the Cinema (Sky Cinema) Grandpa In My Pocket (BBC1  / Aadstra) Marcaroni and Dwylor Enfys (S4C / Ceidiog TV) Patience, The Yeoman of the Guard (BBC Proms -ENO) The Silly Kings (The National Theatre of Wales) Swansong (National Theatre Studios) La Maupin (The Lion and Unicorn – Offies, Winner of Best New Musical) Un Ballo in Maschera, La Traviata, La Rondine, Gioelli Della Madonna (Opera Holland Park) The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado (Scottish Opera) Ariadne auf Naxos (Garsington Opera, Den Norske Opera) Mirandolina (Garsington Opera) The Original Chinese Conjuror (Almeida Opera) Dr Faustus (Chichester Festival Theatre) Orphee Aux Enfers – (Royal Academy Opera) The Beggers Opera (Linbury Theatre – ROH) The Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe (Gielgud Theatre) The Merry Widow (Carl Rosa Opera). Directing credits include, Caitlin (UK Tour), Alice in Wonderland (Birmingham Old Rep) Cuckoo’s Nest (Stockwell Playhouse – Winner of Best New Musical) The Addams Family, Little Women, Urine Town, Drowsy Chaperone, 25^th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee (BOA) God of Carnage (Manchester -Immersive Theatre Festival)The Famous Farter (Millennium Centre, Cardiff) Peter Pan, Oliver, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chichester Festival Theatre).

Philip Sunderland – Music Director 

Philip was born in Norwich and educated at the Cathedral School. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and the National Opera Studio, Philip began his professional like as a repetiteur, working for all the major opera companies in the UK. This led to many conducting opportunities, first with English Touring Opera, for whom he conducted Marriage of Figaro, Cenerentola, Pearl Fishers, Daughter of the Regiment and Cosi fan tutte. In 1999, having worked as an assistant conductor at Opera North, Philip was appointed Chorus Master, a role he performed for five years. Whilst working for Opera North he conducted La traviata and the company’s acclaimed production of Sweeney Todd, as well as numerous concerts including the Brahms’ Requiem in York Minster. Philip has continued to conduct for ETO, winning an Olivier Award for Paul Bunyan in 2015 and returned the following year with Tales of Hoffman. He was music director to Swansea City Opera and W11 Opera for Young People and Chorus Master at the Bregenzer Festspiele. In 2014 he was commissioned by the Saffron Hall to write an opera for over 200 schoolchildren, professional singers and orchestra. The Glass Knight was first performed in the Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden in March 2015. Advent Calendar, a setting of biblical texts and a poem by Ronan Williams, was premiered in St Mary’s church, Saffron Walden in 2018. Philip is delighted to return to Clonter Opera, having conducted Rigoletto in 2009, a particularly exciting time as his son was born prematurely during the final stage and orchestra rehearsals! Philip is currently Head of Preparatory and Vocal Faculty Opera at the Royal Academy of Music, for whom he conducted Cunning Little Vixen in 2019.