Jerwood Foundation has awarded a grant of £10,000 to Scherzo Ensemble. This funding will help support the fees for the Longhope Opera Orchestra, which is made up of recently graduated young professionals, giving them the opportunity to perform a run of a full opera in a company of their peers. They will perform Donizetti’s comedy Don Pasquale at Longhope Opera on 6 and 7 July 2024.
Matthew O’Keeffe, Artistic Director, Scherzo Ensemble said:
We are thrilled to receive support from Jerwood once more. It is inspiring to work with eager and enthusiastic players, and to see the ensemble gel over the course of the production.
We can see that our collaborative approach helps to instil love for the Bel Canto repertoire and sets an example of what young professionals can achieve together, with the necessary backing.
Scherzo Ensemble is a professional development platform for young performers, primarily singers. They deliver high-quality performance and training projects for early-career artists, offering them opportunities to develop experience, understanding, and professional networks. Scherzo also manages Longhope Opera, a fledgling country house opera festival in East Hampshire. Each July, they produce a comic bel canto opera with a company of emerging talent.