Barwhillanty Estate are happy to announce a Garden Open Day and Picnic Prom will take place, on Saturday, June 8, 2024.
Bring your picnic, reserve a prepared picnic hamper or indulge in a slice of wood-fired artisan pizza, with friends and family, while listening to glorious music in our beautiful gardens. The exquisite gardens will be open to explore from 11am and we invite you to enjoy an hour-long concert at 1pm, presented by Blackbird Opera.
The event will be joined by four guest soloists, who will take you on an exciting journey through the wondrous world of opera. Led by musical director, Cameron Burns, featuring well-known arias, duets, and ensembles from much-loved operas by Bizet, Puccini, Verdi, Mozart and more, there is no better way to introduce opera to all the family. Barwhillanty Estate, a family estate since 1884, immersed in the natural beauty of the Galloway Hills, is run by Oscar and Maria Yerburgh with a commitment to conservation and responsibility to land management.
They aspire to create a community that upholds their values of sustainability, responsibility, and wellbeing through shared experiences of celebration, education and beneficial connection to nature. Blackbird Opera, is a small opera company based in Dumfries and Galloway, and was formed by local soprano Claudia Wood. Blackbird Opera previously performed Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, to a sold-out audience at CatStrand in 2019.
Last year, they made their return to the region performing outdoors to audiences as part of Dumfries and Galloway’s Summer of Cycling.
Blackbird Opera will present an hour-long concert of music, joined by four guest soloists: Claudia Wood – soprano; Lynn Bellamy – mezzo-soprano; Matthew Kimble – tenor; Phil Gault – caritone. The singers will take you on an exciting journey through the wondrous world of opera.
Cameron Burns is senior coach in vocal performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In 2012, he made his conducting debut with the London Symphony Orchestra prompting the Times to describe him as ‘a young conductor to watch’. He was mentored by Sir Jeffrey Tate and from 2015-2020 he was Kapellmeister of the Staatsoper Hannover where he conducted over 150 performances of opera and ballet.
Cameron started his career working freelance as music staff for Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Mariinsky Theatre, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Opera North, Reisopera, The Netherlands and the BBC Proms with the John Wilson Orchestra.
A spokesman said: “We are delighted to be hosting this event to remember and hope you will join us in a celebration of music and nature.
“We will have some cover available in the event of rain, but please come prepared with something warm and waterproof, as well as picnic blankets and chairs (only if you need one).”
No dogs please. Tea, coffee, and ice cream also available – please be sure to book on our website in advance. Tickets can be purchased directly from Barwhillanty Estate: https://www.barwhillantyestate.co.uk/shop/events/garden-open-day-picnic-prom/
This event is supported by the Innovate Create Cultivate Fund, developed by DG Unlimited (DGU), and supported by Dumfries and Galloway Council. This event is also supported by Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival – Support for Ambition (Venues).
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