Suzi is vocal director of Garsington Opera’s Youth Company where she works closely with artistic director, Karen Gillingham.
Garsington Opera’s Youth Company provides local young people with the opportunity to develop their singing, creative skills, confidence and stage experience through opera.
During annual Easter and summer residencies, young singers come together and rehearse, leading up to a performance on the main stage for an invited audience at Wormsley.
In 2017 the Youth Company took part in the hugely successful world premiere of Silver Birch, performing three sold-out nights at Wormsley alongside international opera stars and the Foley Sound Design team from Pinewood Studios.
In 2018 the Youth Company performed a new production of Eliza and the Swans, an opera by John Barber (composer) and Hazel Gould (librettist). In 2019 The Happy Princess was written especially for the Youth Company by Paul Fincham (composer) and Jessica Duchen (librettist), based on Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince. In July 2021, the company performed The Selfish Giant by John Barber (composer) and Jessica Duchen (librettist).
Rehersals are currently underway for Dawn to Dusk, a collaborative endeavour connecting young people in the UK, Italy, Syria, Palestine and Lebanon to co-create a hybrid live/digital youth opera and touring installation piece that uses film and new technology to tell their stories through their eyes, so their voices can be heard throughout the world. The composer is Richard Taylor.
Participation in the company is by audition and is free of charge.
