Here’s a very interesting announcement about Kennet Opera’s New Musical Director, Justin Bindley. 

All the best, Jim

To kick off their 2018 season, Kennet Opera are delighted to welcome their new musical director, Justin Bindley, who has recently begun taking rehearsals.

Justin Bindley, Kennet Opera

Based in Swindon, Justin sang professionally for over thirty years as an operatic baritone with most of the major opera companies including English National Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera North, New D’Oyly Carte Opera, Carl Rosa Opera, New London Opera Players and English Bach Festival.

He has made several BBC recordings and proms appearances in such widely differing pieces as HMS Pinafore and Mussorgski’s Boris Godunov.  He has also sung in Holland, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, France and South Africa.

In recent years Justin has concentrated on musical direction and coaching, having worked as MD for such groups as  Voices2Go, the Salveo Singers  and Ormond Opera. In 2011 he also conducted the world premiere of Liz Upham’s Carmelite Mass.

For Justin’s first season with Kennet Opera, he brings all his experience to an exciting programme of Puccini concerts over Spring and Summer, to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Kennet’s main production in November is a double bill – Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas coupled with a rare musical folly by Sir Arthur Sullivan, The Zoo. Not many people know this work! Sullivan didn’t have his usual collaborator W S Gilbert, but it’s fully in the G&S tradition of a ludicrous plot set to a rollicking (and often charming) score.