Tête à Tête is a London-based opera company that commissions new works. Its primary mission is to reach new audiences and to extend the boundaries of traditional opera.
Contents
History
A charity-based arts company, Tête à Tête was founded in 1997 by its current Artistic Director, Bill Bankes-Jones, the conductor Orlando Jopling and then-administrator Katie Price. Originally the company produced works such as The Flying Fox (Die Fledermaus). This was first performed at the Battersea Arts Centre in 1998 then went to the Purcell Room. Shorts followed in 1999, again first performed at the Battersea Arts Centre and then revived at the Bridewell Theatre in 2001. Shorts became Tête à Tête's first touring production. Since 1997 it has produced over 60 new works. In order to provide an opportunity for other artists, composers, and ensembles to showcase their work, the company established Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival in 2006. The festival has since played host to over 150 guest companies.
Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival
Each year Tête à Tête now takes over Riverside Studios for three weeks in August with a mix of musicians, singers, performers and dancers who are given free rein to present their work, some of which is still in progress. The categories include dance, mime and media technologies. In a review of two works presented at the 2010 festival by Rupert Christiansen, subtitled "Tete a Tete's annual Opera Festival is wonderfully random, and throws up some fine things", Christiansen wrote: "You never know quite what you're going to get or how good or bad it's going to be, and that's exactly as it should be."
Past productions
Past productions have been supported by the company's associate musical ensemble CHROMA and include: