CEIS Northumbria University:       Former Reader/PGR Director       Visiting Research Fellow

Family History Research – Paternal/Maternal side, including review of DNA techniques – Presentation; mtDNA mother-of-mother Rossiter – Nicholls – Holbrook – May – Dashper – Illustrated Report

Arts and Music Festivals

Brundibár Arts Festival   Oxford May Music   Ulverston International Music Festival   Budapest Wagner Days

Wagner Days

Müpa Budapest, June 2018: fanfares Tannhäuser 14th Act 1, Act 2, Act 3,

Wagner Research

Marx vs Wagner: a Timeline Comparison with Analysis work in progress

Birds in opera

Firebird finale by Stravinsky with composer conducting! The mythical Phoenix bird rises from the ashes  

The Ring: Siegfried towards end Act II by Wagner. Siegfried slays the dragon. The forest bird instructs Siegfried, firstly to claim the ring and the tarnhelm from the dragon's cave and secondly to beware of Mime who is going to try and poison him. Mime has only a few minutes left.

The Ring: Siegfried finale Act II by Wagner. After Mime's end the forest bird plays cupid, lining Siegfried up with a date with Brünnhilde. Now if Honey Buzzard could do this!!

Lohengrin. Act 1: Nun sei bedankt, mein lieber Schwan Lohengrin arrives down a waterway, on a boat pulled by a swan, to defend Elsa of Brabant's honour in a dual with Friedrich of Telramund. Bayreuth Festival.

Favourites

The Ring: Götterdämmerung - Act II finale Betrüger ich - und betrogen! Hagen (Nibelung), Gunther (Gibichung), Brünnhilde (ex-Valkyrie) seek the death of Siegfried (Volsung) with the Nibelung (lower earth in Lord of the Rings) after the ring from the Volsung (middle earth). Bayreuth Festival. No birds but if I had the choice of only one bit of Wagner to take on a desert island, this would be it!

Sublime

Mozart Flute Quartet in C Major k.171 (258b) Liverpool String Quartet & Eilidh Gillespie

Patrons' Award to Amy Yule Royal Academy of Music