Toad Lane Concert: Opera Gala from the Buckmasters and Tim Kennedy piano

Tim Kennedy (left) and the Buckmasters

This week's performers, Heather and Joseph Buckmaster, co-founded Flat Pack Music, an outreach opera company which aims to bring communities together through active music making. Both have developed several operatic roles with various companies as well as being soloists in choral works and concerts across the country.

Soprano Heather graduated first class from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She also has a master’s in music therapy from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, so additionally specialises in dementia care.

Tenor Joseph began as a chorister and lay clerk at Chester Cathedral before studying at the RNCM and the Royal Academy of Music. He is currently a chorus member for both the Royal Opera House and English National Opera.

They were expertly supported by multi-talented Tim Kennedy who studied music at Cambridge and is a freelance professional singer, vocal coach, organist, and piano accompanist, including ten years as a repetiteur at the RNCM.

Arias by Mozart quickly established them as first-rate performers. Joseph followed with two passionate Italian songs by Verdi and Tosti, and Heather with sophisticated lieder from Brahms and Wolf.

The temperature rose with Joseph’s extract from La Traviata, and Heather’s My lips are much sweeter than wine by Lehar. Then a superb concert performance of a scene from Puccini’s La Boheme. Their dramatic rear exit sharing a beautiful top C, moved some to tears, and certainly earned and demanded an encore. Only Brindisi (the drinking song from La Traviata) could do it: the audience participating with la, la, la, brought the house down.

This was concert number 1,033 since taking over from the council in 2001. The Queen’s Award-winning Toad Lane Concerts are every Wednesday at 12.30pm at St Mary in the Baum, Toad Lane, Rochdale, OL16 1DZ. Entrance fee is £6. No refreshments available. Contact 01706 648872 for further information.

To see details of forthcoming Toad Lane Concerts, click here.

Dr Joe Dawson