Scottish Opera will be appearing all over the country this Autumn in a series of ten operatic concerts in venues from Fort William to Dumfries and Falkirk.

The Orchestra of Scottish Opera will be performing works from the symphonic and ballet repertoire and will be joined by international soloists singing highlights from operas such as The Magic Flute, Così fan tutte, and La traviata. The conductors have devised four separate programmes of music with Scottish Opera's former Music Director Sir Richard Armstrong, who will be conducting the final set of concerts.

The conductors for the concerts are Glaswegian Christian Curnyn (known to Scottish Opera audiences for the recent performances of Handel's Semele), Edinburgh-born Garry Walker (currently Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra) and Scotsman Douglas Boyd (Music Director of Manchester Camerata and Associate Conductor of the City of London Sinfonia). Soloists for the concerts include soprano Lucy Crowe, tenor Ed Lyon, bass-baritone John Mackenzie-Lavansch, mezzo-soprano Ann Taylor, baritone Roland Wood and soprano Rebecca Nash.

Alongside the concerts in Irvine, Dumfries, and Fort William, Scottish Opera's Education Department will be offering specially devised three-hour workshops for seven to fourteen year olds and their families. Working with professional artists and musicians, families will be able to explore the stories behind the operas and music featured in the concerts, from learning a chorus from La traviata to creating artwork inspired by Dvořák's Symphony No. 8. Tickets for these workshops cost £6 for adults and £3 for children and include free entry to the concert performance.

Performance Information for 2005:

September 30 Tait Hall, Kelso 7.30pm
October 1 Queens Hall, Dunoon 7.30pm

Conductor: Christian Curnyn. Includes highlights from Mozart's The Magic Flute and Così fan tutte and Haydn's Symphony No. 45 (Farewell).

October 5 Loreburn Hall, Dumfries 7.30pm
October 6 Magnum Centre, Irvine 7.30pm
October 8 Nevis Centre, Fort William 7.30pm

Conductor: Garry Walker. Includes Verdi's Overture to La forza del destino, highlights from La traviata and Dvořák's Symphony No. 8.

December 8 Rothes Halls, Glenrothes 7.30pm
December 10 Grand Hall, Kilmarnock 7.30pm

Conductor: Douglas Boyd. Includes Rossini's Overture to Semiramide, highlights from The Barber of Seville, Thomas' 'Legères hirondelles' from Mignon and Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony No. 6.

December 15 Town Hall, Falkirk 7.30pm
December 16 Corran Halls, Oban 7.30pm
December 17 Town Hall, Paisley 7.30pm

Conductor: Richard Armstrong. Includes Humperdinck's Overture to Hansel and Gretel, three Strauss songs with orchestra, Dvořák's Prague Waltzes, highlights from Lehar's The Merry Widow and Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty.

Family Discovery Days:
Sunday, 25 September &  Monday, 26 September
Valley Arts Resource Centre, Kilbirnie Oasis Youth Centre, Dumfries
2.00pm to 5.00pm 10.00am to 1.00pm

Saturday, 1 October
Lochaber High School, Fort William
2.00pm to 5.00pm

Tickets: For Scottish Opera in Concert: Showcase and Family Discovery Day tickets, call the 24 hour booking line on 0870 4000 896 or book online at www.scottishopera.org.uk