Meet the team: Alice
First up.... hello I’m Alice – I’m a soprano and I’m one of the Gothic Opera co-founders. I deal with the day to day running of the company as well as handling press and publicity, copywriting, marketing, social media and generally everything to do with helping people find out about us and come to see our productions!
First up.... hello I’m Alice – I’m a soprano and I’m one of the Gothic Opera co-founders. I deal with the day to day running of the company as well as handling press and publicity, copywriting, marketing, social media and generally everything to do with helping people find out about us and come to see our productions! Also, I spend a lot of my time securing funding for our work, which is an eternal struggle in the current climate. And you might also have seen me onstage if you’ve been to a Gothic Opera show!
What’s your favourite part of your role?
I love everything but I particularly enjoy the planning stages of a project, when we are announcing our upcoming production and advertising roles, gradually assembling the team. We are committed to open advertising wherever possible, and I love meeting people and exchanging ideas. The audition days are also wonderful, because we so enjoy hearing people sing for us, but on the flip side it’s really upsetting when we can’t offer opportunities to everyone!
Proudest moment?
For me my proudest moment personally was the final day of Maria de Rudenz, our 2024 Halloween production, because it was our first year working at Battersea Arts Centre, I had just had a baby, and we achieved amazing reviews. It was a rollercoaster of a year for us all! I was so, so proud of what we achieved.
Why come and see Die Rheinnixen by Offenbach this Halloween?
This year’s show, which translates as "The Nixies of the Rhine", is a German horror story which we’re staging for the first time in the UK. The production will create an evocative and intense atmosphere in beautiful Battersea Arts Centre. It’s just the sort of thing that our company does best! It’s not to be missed.
Meet the team: Béatrice
Hello, I'm Béatrice! I am the artistic director and one of the co-founders of Gothic Opera. I am a singer, with a background in art history and literature. You might also have seen me onstage in our productions. Some of my favourite memories with Gothic Opera are performing in the Act I finale of Donizetti’s Maria de Rudenz in 2024, and rehearsing Act II of Rip Van Winkle, dressed as bowling pins and playing with a huge balloon!
Hello, I'm Béatrice! I am the artistic director and one of the co-founders of Gothic Opera. I am a singer, with a background in art history and literature. You might also have seen me onstage in our productions. Some of my favourite memories with Gothic Opera are performing in the Act I finale of Donizetti’s Maria de Rudenz in 2024, and rehearsing Act II of Rip Van Winkle, dressed as bowling pins and playing with a huge balloon!
What does an artistic director actually do?!
I unearth, research and select the operas that we produce. Each year I try to alternate styles, languages and periods. I like to have a ‘hook’ each time – sometimes it’s a title that rings a bell (The Bloody Nun….) , sometimes it’s an unknown work from a famous composer (like Donizetti’s Maria de Rudenz), or an appealing gothic theme (Der Vampyr by Marschner). This year’s Halloween opera, Die Rheinnixen, really fits the bill. It preceded the Tales of Hoffmann and is the “other” serious opera by Offenbach! It includes a particularly famous theme that we’re sure you will recognise.
Proudest moment:
The achievements I’m proudest of so far are our UK premiere of Gounod’s La Nonne sanglante, and the first revival of Louise Bertin’s Le Loup-Garou in Europe since its creation in 1827.
Why the gothic?
I’ve always been attracted by ghostly and dark realms, whether in literature or painting. I also love the gothic revival style in architecture and decorative arts. When I started to explore this universe in music and opera as well, I discovered a treasure trove of repertoire that is - unjustly - too scarcely performed…
Meet the team: Charlotte
Hello! I’m Charlotte. I’m a co-founder and the executive producer of Gothic Opera. I’m French and British, and now I live in America. I oversee the company’s finances and determine budgets for each production. If you’re working with us, I’ll be sending out your contract and paying your invoice!
Hello! I’m Charlotte. I’m a co-founder and the executive producer of Gothic Opera. I’m French and British, and now I live in America. I oversee the company’s finances and determine budgets for each production. If you’re working with us, I’ll be sending out your contract and paying your invoice! I used to sing too - you’ll have last seen me on stage throwing a tantrum then immediately singing the most wonderful love duet as Stella in Le dernier sorcier in 2022.
What’s your favourite part of your role?
Working with people. I really enjoy planning and making decisions as a team. I love working with artists and finding together the best ways to make their visions come to life. And I love sitting on a video call with Alice just getting things done together!
Proudest moment?
It’s a tie between two moments that are linked for me. The first one was the Sitzprobe (when the cast and orchestra rehearse together for the first time) of our very first show, Der Vampyr, back in 2019. All these wonderful musicians had come together because we decided to start a company and produce an opera! It was the first time I had been in charge of something like this, it was a real pinch-me moment. The second was when the audience gave a standing ovation at the final performance of Maria de Rudenz in 2024. It brought home the sense that, in the 5 short years since we started, GO had become something really special.
Favourite musical moment?
Act 1 Finale of La Nonne sanglante by Gounod. The fate of each character gets determined by the discoveries and decisions they each make in that scene. It’s a pivotal ensemble number in the piece that is beautifully melodic and piercingly dramatic as it foreshadows the tragedy and revenge that is coming. So gothic! Our wonderful cast in 2021 sang it so well, I’ll never forget that scene.
Meet the team: Helene
Hi, I’m Helene. I’m a freelance opera and theatre producer, and this is my third year working with Gothic Opera. My role spans all aspects of production- from negotiating with venues and assembling the creative team, to organising auditions, managing budgets, and ensuring that the creative relationships are strong and productive. I work to bring each year’s artistic vision to life, supporting the team to fulfil the creative concept to its fullest potential.
Hi, I’m Helene. I’m a freelance opera and theatre producer, and this is my third year working with Gothic Opera. My role spans all aspects of production - from negotiating with venues and assembling the creative team, to organising auditions, managing budgets, and ensuring that the creative relationships are strong and productive. I work to bring each year’s artistic vision to life, supporting the team to fulfil the creative concept to its fullest potential.
What do you like most about working with Gothic Opera?
Their core values as a company are really unique. They consistently ensure that everyone involved feels heard, respected, and supported - something that is so important in this industry. I also love how brave and different their choices of repertoire are (something we need more of in the UK opera scene). And of course… who doesn’t love a touch of Gothic drama?
Proudest moment:
It’s always opening night. It’s amazing how proud you can feel of everyone involved. Being a producer makes you really value everyone’s role in putting a show together, no matter how small or big. Opera is a truly collaborative art form and seeing all the moving parts come together is incredibly rewarding.