A church in the Highlands will host the world premiere of a new opera written by one of the UK’s most distinguished composers, thanks to an anonymous donation.
The former organist, choirmaster and composer at Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal, Andrew Gant, took inspiration from a 1912 Beatrix Potter tale to write Tod.
He was commissioned to create the piece by Cromarty Youth Opera after it received a large sum of money from a mystery donor.
Rehearsals are well under way ahead of the first performance of the opera at Cromarty West Church tomorrow.
A total of 41 youngsters are involved and while the majority are from Cromarty and the Black Isle, some have been travelling from as far as Germany to take part.
Choral conductor Edward Caswell moved to Cromarty with his wife Clare six years ago.
He said: “We discovered that Hugh Who, an opera about the life of Hugh Miller, a famous writer and geologist from Cromarty, had been performed here some years previously.
“It had been very popular, so we decided to launch Cromarty Youth Opera.
“Our first production, in 2013, was Noyes Fludde by Benjamin Britten.
“Four more operas followed, and for this year we toyed with the idea of commissioning an original work.
“Following a donation to commission a work, I got in touch with my old friend Andrew and he was happy to take it on.”
The world premiere of Tod will be held from 7pm, with further showings at the same time on Thursday and Friday.
Entry is free with donations welcome on the door.
