The Albany Greenock

7.30pm 25th of April

Tickets £12.50 & £10.50(con)

www.ticketsource.co.uk/thealbany Box office tel: 01475 866100

The Gaiety Theatre Ayr

7.30pm 23rd of May

Tickets £13.50 / £12.50 (conc) / £10 (full time students)

www.ayrgaiety.co.uk Box office tel: 01292 288235

Lamlash Community Theatre Isle of Arran

2.30pm 30th of May

Tickets £12.50 & £10.50

www.ticketsource.co.uk/ayrshireoperaexperience Contact: 07736931731

(Performance supported by CalMac)

Ayrshire Opera Experience, in association with the

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, present both the

first opera translated into Scots Language and a

concert of songs and arias featuring works from

Burns to Bernstein.

Actéon Meets Tam O' Shanter is a reworking of the

chamber opera Actéon by one of the most

important French composers of his generation,

Marc-Antoine Charpentier. This ground-breaking

piece merges Scots Language with French Baroque

Opera and Greek mythology, retelling the story of a

young hunter, who like Tam O' Shanter stumbles

across an illicit vision. Unfortunately Actéon was not

as lucky to escape the dark forces, who under many

guises punish voyeuristic men.

Burns to Bernstein is a mixture of Opera, Musical

Theatre and Burns. The programme will include

works by Monteverdi, Handel, Bizet, Bernstein, Noel

Coward and Irving Berlin, showcasing the Some of

Scotland’s rising opera stars, including local singers

Aimee Toshney (English National Opera), David

Douglas (Les Arts Florissants), Siobhan McAuley

(West End Vocal Coach), Alison McNeill (Winner of

the Andres Segovia Spanish Song Prize) and

Colleen Nicoll(Trinity Conservatoire of Music).

Contact: daviddouglastenor@gmail.com

Ayrshire Opera Experience with their unique mix of community and professional singers will perform Actéon Meets Tam O' Shanter at the 2015 Robert Burns Humanitarian Awards on the 22nd January. The Robert Burns Humanitarian Award is a globally respected honour bestowed annually on a group or individual who has shown selflessness and dedication in a bid to save, enrich or improve the lives of others through the protection and promotion of human rights and work to deliver social reform. Named in honour of Scotland’s son Robert Burns, this much sought after humanitarian award applauds the efforts of people who bring hope and inspiration, often in desperate situations, and help change lives for the better.

Ae Spark o’ Nature’s Fire 29/12/2014

Ae Spark o’ Nature’s Fire in Ayrshire is set to

transform a winter’s night into a magical evening of poetry and song in celebration of Scotland’s poet Robert Burns and the Year of

Homecoming.

Taking place on the evening of Monday 29 December, audiences will enter Burns

Museum and Monument Gardens in Alloway, Ayrshire to a world of beautiful fiery

installations that form a glowing garden landscape. Flame lined paths, copper

breathing flowers and scorching sculptural trees will combine to create an unforgettable trail of light devised by outdoor art experts,

Walk the Plank.

Visitors and locals attending the event will also be treated to a number of site specific

performances from Ayrshire Opera Experience celebrating the words and music

of The Bard.

The Genius of Robert Burns

25/01/2015

Starts Burns Cottage 1pm – 3pm

An entertaining play in three parts exploring the inspiration, genius and legacy of Robert Burns by NTS,

Ayrshire Opera Experience and Alloway Burns Club.

Part 1 – discover the people that set a young Robert Burns on the road to fame and fortune (Burns Cottage).

Part 2 – A musical journey into the world of Burns and meet some enchanting characters. Be careful though and watch out for those witches! (Burns landmarks)

Part 3 – Alloway Burns Club and local band Luath

celebrate the great legacy that Robert Burns gave to the world. Relax in Alloway Parish Church as they tell

stories, recite poems and sing songs that are loved the world o’er. (Alloway Parish Church)

Keep small hands entertained with our Burns themed

kids activities.

Community Singers

At the heart of AOE is an ensemble of wonderful community singers, who first rehearsed together in August 2014 as part the pilot opera course. The six day course saw the creation of Actéon Meets Tam O' Shanter. Working with community singers will continue to be a major focus for the company and in August 2015, AOE will run their second opera course

focusing on a Scots Language version of Charpentier's, The Descent of Orpheus to the Underworld.

The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum offers a truly unique encounter with Scotland’s favourite

son.

The museum comprises the famous Burns Cottage where the poet was born, the historic landmarks

where he set his greatest work, the elegant monument and gardens created in his honour and

a modern museum housing the world’s most important collection of his life and works.

www.burnsmuseum.org.uk

Alloway Sessions at the

Museum 25/01/2015

David Douglas (Tenor) & Esther Swift (Harpist)

1pm RBBM

Siobhan McAuley (Whistles and Voice)

2pm RBBM

Colleen Nicoll (Soprano) & Andrew Johnston (Pianist)

3pm RBBM

Aimee Toshney (Soprano/Piano) & Alexandra Shrinivas (Soprano/Violin)

4pm RBBM

Alison McNeill (Fiddle/Voice) & Fiona McNeill (Guitar)

3pm Burns Cottage

The Isle of Arran performance of Actéon Meets Tam O' Shanter is supported by Caledonian MacBrayne Clyde and Hebridean.

www.calmac.co.uk