Biography
In the second year of doctoral research. The project focuses on southern Italy and its operatic life in the mid-nineteenth century. After Italian unification Naples changed overnight from a capital city to a much poorer, large pre-industrial city far from court and government. It had had two trophy opera houses, several smaller theatres that presented comic opera and big subsidy - now it was fighting for money and many of the composers, not just Verdi, wanted to make careers in northern Italy instead.
The work involves archival digging and looking over scores by composers whose work never made it into repertory.
I read Philosophy at King's for my first degree. Then I worked, initially as an opera director. More recently I collaborated with Christopher Hogwood and Richard Egarr as chair of their orchestra, the Academy of Ancient Music. I am a director of NMC Records and Opera Rara.
