Scottish Opera’s tour “Essential Scottish Opera” is set to travel to fifteen venues the length and breadth of Scotland in 2008. Opening in East Kilbride’s Village Theatre on 15 January, four singers, accompanied by pianist Ian Shaw, will tour to Arran, Beauly, Campbeltown, Carrbridge, Castle Douglas, Findhorn, Glenuig, Greenock, Jedburgh, Midmar, Mull, Strathmiglo, Torridon and Wick performing a delightful programme of operatic highlights.

Essential Scottish Opera features something for everyone, whether new to opera or already a fan, in a relaxed and informal evening. The show features a mixture of musical styles including much-loved arias from Rigoletto, La Traviata, L’Elisir d’Amore and Carmen alongside less familiar pieces by Handel, Monteverdi, Tchaikovsky and Smetana. The evening will finish with an American flavour with pieces from Barber, Cole Porter and Bernstein.

This year’s cast are soprano Amanda Forbes, a recent graduate of the National Opera Studio, mezzo-soprano Catriona Barr, who played Kate Pinkerton in Scottish Opera’s recent production of Madama Butterfly, tenor Blake Fischer, winner of the Royal Northern College of Music’s prestigious Gold Medal in 2003, and baritone Anders Östberg, a Swedish singer who is also a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. The singers are accompanied by Scottish Opera Pianist Ian Shaw.

Essential Scottish Opera is sponsored by the Friends of Scottish Opera.