April Fredrick and Michèle Lammas lead an interactive talk and workshop about Swedish soprano and international phenomenon Jenny Lind to uncover the woman behind the legend. April Fredrick will also perform ‘Qui la voce’, a favourite Bellini aria of Lind’s, with violinist Grace Shepherd.
Free entry but tickets should be pre-booked.
Thursday 30th May at 3:00pm
The Firs
Crown East Lane
Lower Broadheath
Worcester WR2 6RH
This concert is free, but you should still book as space is limited
Or call Worcester Theatres on 01905 611427.
April Fredrick and Michèle Lammas
Jenny Lind: National Treasure
Soprano April Fredrick and researcher-librettist Michèle Lammas present a workshop around their upcoming project, JLFONO, combining creative research and outreach about Lind’s life and work with a projected chamber opera. www.jl-fono.co.uk
A performance of a Lind-favourite Bellini aria with violinist Grace Shepherd, a try-on corner for period costume, a garden treasure hunt and colouring table are supported by education and museums consultant Sue Pope and budding archivist Cat Lammas from the project’s creative team.
On the 2nd of February 1849 the ‘Swedish Nightingale’ Jenny Lind was joined by an illustrious group of co-performers for a concert held in College Hall, Worcester, to raise money for charity. The substantial box office proceeds were generously donated to the local infirmary and her concert became a cherished memory for many.
In 2024 the memory of that momentous event is being revived by the creative team behind ‘Jenny Lind: For one night only’ (FONO) and a series of unforgettable celebrations commemorating the 175th anniversary of this iconic event. The Elgar Festival are delighted that this talk and short performance form part of those celebrations.
Free and open to the public
Jenny Lind: ‘For One Night Only’ creative team
Michèle Lammas founded the Jenny Lind: For One Night Only (JL FONO) project during her PhD pathway focusing on creating opportunities and projects. Michèle is a published author with screenplay commissions and collaborations supporting charitable causes. The JL FONO project aims to develop her skills as a librettist for a chamber opera based on research and workshop feedback.
Soprano April Fredrick loves words and stories and the way that they fire composers’ imaginations and the audience’s imagination in turn, connecting us with those who have come before. She is a frequent soloist with orchestras across the UK including the RPO, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and a champion of new work on both the concert and opera stage. She is also an Associate Artist with the English Symphony Orchestra, with whom she performs regularly.
Cat Lammas, is in her third year at the University of East Anglia studying Art History and Gallery and Museum Studies. She has volunteered at Greyfriars House and Gardens and Worcester Cathedral Archive and is currently a trainee Archives and Records Assistant for the JL FONO project team, preparing for postgraduate studies and work in the field.
Sue Pope has spent 25 years in the heritage and music education sectors, having worked with Orchestra of the Swan and the Academy of Ancient Music, the National Trust and many museums and heritage attractions in roles such as Director of Impact and Learning and Education Advisor. As a freelance project manager, clients have included Birmingham Conservation Trust, Chiltern Open Air Museum, Worcestershire and West Midlands Building Preservation Trusts and Ruskin College.
Grace Shepherd is a first-class graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music, 2023 where she led the RWCM Symphony Orchestra, performed as soloist in Vivaldi’s Winter with the Baroque Badinerie Consort, and represented the college in the Cavatina Competition at Wigmore Hall as leader of the Bevan Quartet. She has worked with several orchestras including BBC National Orchestra of Wales, English Symphony Orchestra and Piccadilly Sinfonietta. Grace recently put on her first self-run fundraising concert in Worcester and raised over £1000 for Acorns Children’s Hospice.