Opera Singing
Opera singing has been a lifelong passion, including about 8 - 10 years as a professional.
Photo as the Merry Widow
in 1987
I started in the school choir, and then joined the Orpington Junior Singers between the ages of 14 - 19 doing hundreds of performances, including recordings at the BBC, on Television where I sang live as a soloist, tours of Northern Ireland and Holland, and performances at the Royal Albert and Festival Halls under the baton of some very famous conductors, including Leonard Bernstein. I was one of the main soloists during my time with the choir.
I then joined the local operatic society with whom I performed may operettas over the years while I was having my children, and then moved into grand opera in my mid thirties. I played many leading roles.
Roles:
Mimi (La Boheme), Fiordiligi (Cosi Fan Tutte), The Countess (The Marriage of Figaro), Rosalinda (Die Fledermaus), Violetta (La Traviata), Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance), Yum Yum (The Mikado), Leonora (La Forza del Destino), Leonora (Il Trovatore), Amelia (Un Ballo in Maschera - 3 times), Antonia (The Tales of Hoffman), 1st Lady (The Magic Flute - twice), Lady Macbeth (Macbeth), Nedda (I Pagliacci), Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana), Saffi (The Gypsy Baron), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Valencienne (The Merry Widow), Silva (The Gypsy Princess) and the title roles in Suor Angelica, Maria Stuarda, Manon (Massenet), Madama Butterfly, Tosca and the Merry Widow (twice)
Below - as Tosca in 2000
Professional work under the Equity name of:
Carole Fisher-Grant
I sang professionally for some years, in some of the roles above, and as a free lance soprano, singing with:
Opera Italiana, Prima Nova, Opera Options, Court Opera productions, including a UK tour and a trip to Bochum in Germany singing extracts from opera based on Shakespeare.
I also sang professional chorus from time to time, with the Ambrosian Opera Chorus, performing at the arena in Earl's Court in Aida and Carmen with international opera stars.
I also sang for a while in the Extra Chorus at The Royal Opera Covent Garden.
In 1990 I found myself in what is referred to in the business as a "resting period", and not content to be idle I decided to mount an opera myself, mounting a production of Madama Butterfly. I organised the whole thing, played Madama Butterfly at two of the performances, and took the financial risk myself.
I had not intended to form an on-going company, but as this was so successful I was persuaded to continue and mounted two further operas before forming a committee to spread the workload and responsibility.
Since then Opera Nova has mounted a total of 10 operas.
My husband Adrian designs and paints all the scenery and is a member of Opera Nova singing in the tenor chorus.
The company still continues today but I no longer run the group being more pre-occupied with Astronomy
In 2019 I have finally managed to upload some footage to You tube, but as I need the permission of the other singers etc taking part to publish it on You tube and I don't have contact with most of those people now, I have uploaded it as a private video.
If you know me or are one of the artists I have performed with please contact me on:
carolepope (at) gmail (dot) com for permission to view, or to give permission to publish on You tube.
This is what i have uploaded so far:
Madama Butterfly sung in Italian, my first production running my own company.
Playing Madama Butterfly Act 1
Act 2 Butterfly