TALENT CAN TAKE WING WITH SPONSORS' HELP FOR PEGASUS OPERA COMPANY

Pegasus Opera Company is looking for one or more corporate sponsors who would be interested in a single production or long term commitment with an innovative arts organisation. Pegasus is the United Kingdom's leading professional, multi-racial, mid-scale touring opera company, founded in 1992. The company creates opportunities for young professional singers from all backgrounds to develop and perform in high quality and innovative opera productions, thus preparing them for national and international houses. Pegasus believes that it is only through the nurturing of these diverse talents that a new form of cultural harmony can be achieved. This harmony encourages talent equally, without regard to cultural heritage or ethnic background. The company also seeks to demystify opera by making it accessible to as wide an audience as possible, actively involving a cross-section of the community. This includes programming an accessible range of works and touring to a variety of medium-sized venues with the aim of reaching communities who would not normally have access to high quality opera. The company's community and education programme develops new audiences through special workshops and outreach programmes. One of Pegasus Opera's long-term goals is to gain secure financial support, enabling it to produce regular educational projects (at minimal cost to the schools involved), community projects and artistic productions. Reliable funding would allow the company to fulfil its aims to the highest standards, which in turn would ensure that the sponsoring company would feel a tangible benefit from the association, thus creating a lasting and sustainable legacy of music in the community at large. Past productions include   •  a gala concert production of Porgy And Bess at the Barbican in June 2005 ("the Pegasus production was a brilliant interpretation to which the audience responded with a five minute standing ovation", Live 247)   •  L'Elisir D'Amore (The Love Potion) UK touring production ("last night Pegasus Opera triumphed effortlessly", Huddersfield Examiner)   •  Mayor Ken Livingstone's Summer in the City concerts ("Pegasus stars poured out a feast of popular arias from Verdi, Puccini, Gershwin, Bizet" - the music mesmerized the audience", Camden New Journal)   •   Carmen UK touring production ("a spirited new Carmen, a febrile, physically exciting account", The Observer). This year the company's current professional production is I Pagliacci, a co-production with English Touring Opera for Spring 2006. This will be a new and exciting production of Leoncavallo's masterpiece: one of the first and finest of the 19th century's verismo operas. This new production is set between the wars and is sung in English. It will tour throughout the UK in May 2006. A rarely performed opera by Frederick Delius will form the heart of the company's education/community project scheduled for the end of 2006. Koanga is the very first African-American opera, telling the story of an enslaved African prince against the backdrop of oppression, voodoo and love betrayed. The production will involve a chorus of talented amateurs alongside professional opera singers, plus a special schools' matinee, in which 240 London school children will present their own prequel of Delius's story to a theatre full of their classmates and other pupils. To be presented in London for a limited season in October and November 2006, Koanga promises to be a major theatrical event and Pegasus intend it to be the highlight of Black History Month in London. Pegasus would be delighted to discuss specific sponsorship opportunities.   Contact: Marleen Mikhail, London Programme Co-ordinator. Tel.: 020 7501 9501. Other contact details in our Arts: Music section.     © uksponsorship.com Ltd. 2006 E&OE