ROSS CUMMING
LOOKING FORWARD TO A GALA EVENING OF OPERA
Gill Sherry
On Wednesday 4th February, Ayr Town Hall will host A Gala Evening of Opera showcasing the very best of 18th and 19th century opera.
Baritone Ross Cumming will be among those performing and he told me what the audience can expect.
“First and foremost, it’s going to be an amazing showcase of the Scottish Opera Orchestra, an incredible ensemble with some of the finest players that Scotland has to offer. There will also be two soloists, myself and Catriona Hewitson, who are both products of the Emerging Artists of Scottish Opera.”
Ross was incredibly proud to be selected for the Emerging Artists programme, a full-time, salaried contract awarded to young, up-and-coming professionals.
“I did two years with them and it’s an amazing experience. Essentially, you’re an in-house singer for Scottish Opera. They plan their season of productions with us in mind. You learn so much from being on stage and rubbing shoulders with the best of them.”
Which is something he’ll most definitely be doing in Ayr.
“It’s exciting to be working with the world-renowned conductor Julia Jones as she conducts the orchestra and singers in this exciting evening of opera.”
Originally from Elgin, Ross began his musical journey playing the piano, but performing on stage presented him with a unique challenge.
“Being totally honest… I sweat quite a lot when I perform, and my fingers kept falling off the keys! But when it comes to singing, only the poor soprano who you have to hold hands with has to put up with it!”
Switching from pianist to singer came naturally to Ross who began singing with the National Youth Choir of Scotland. He also performed with St Giles’ Theatre Group and was involved in various productions including Grease and Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
“I studied at the University of Aberdeen,” he told me. “They had an Opera Society. It was there that I cut my teeth doing budget productions of The Marriage of Figaro, Sweeney Todd and Carmen. It was so much fun putting on costumes and wigs and singing in Italian and French, but I didn’t know you could do it professionally!”
Once he discovered that he could, indeed, choose opera as a career, he went on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, then the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, and then Scottish Opera.
It was clear from talking to Ross that he has a real passion for opera. I asked what he would say to those who may believe the myth that opera is ‘stuffy’ and not something they would enjoy.
“There are so many tunes that listeners will recognise from movies and tv and pop culture. You’ll be surprised by how much you actually know. Opera is basically farcical plots, it’s nothing highbrow, it’s just great tunes and characters falling in love, or fighting, or crying about being left at the altar. There’s something in opera, and in this concert especially, for everyone. It’s good fun.”
Scottish Opera works really hard to break down the barriers and to attract more people to this particular art form. One of the ways they try to do that is by making it accessible to more people and introducing them to its captivating storytelling. Hence the upcoming gala evening in Ayr.
Why not give it a try?
You can buy tickets for A Gala Evening of Opera from www.thegaiety.co.uk/events/a-gala-evening-of-opera-ayr-town-hall/
