Cosí fan tutte programme book 2023

Ireland (ACNI) contacted Scottish Opera,
because they had a designated department
that worked on outreach projects. What
ACNI wanted was to give money to a project
that was going to bring both sides of the
border together in some artistic way. So they
commissioned a piece of musical theatre.
They brought in a wonderful man, David
Munro, who was at the time in Scottish Opera,
a composer, and later musical director of the
Celtic Tenors, and now Celtic Thunder. He
composed a musical based on the William
Trevor short story, The Ballroom of Romance.
People from Leitrim and Enniskillen were
encouraged to take part. He wrote a beautiful
arietta that Bridie sang to herself in the mirror
before going into the ballroom, and tenor
James Nelson had the role of Mr Dwyer, who
owned the ballroom. But everybody else
was either from Enniskillen or somewhere
in Leitrim, from communities that had been
separated by the closing of border roads. It
was one of the most moving experiences I
had. At the wrap party there was a table where
everyone was crying and hugging. It appears
that two of the young girls who were in the
chorus had become great mates during the
production. It transpired, during the party,
that when their mothers were of a similar age,
they, too, had been great friends. But they’d
lost touch. It made a very deep impression
on me about the difficulties and struggles of
ordinary people, and not even the people who
had suffered death or injury. Just how the
social history of the area had been impacted.
For a brief, shining moment, as it were, that
production brought these communities
together. The very special warmth that was
generated has stayed with me. It touched me
deeply, how much love there was in that whole
experience, and also how much sadness.
IF YOU WEREN’T A SINGER, WHAT
MIGHT YOU HAVE BECOME?
I do feel there was a fork in the road for me
at one point. When I was young I saw music
as a hobby. So when I left school I qualified
as a dental nurse. This was at the very tail
end of the Aids epidemic in Ireland. Nurses
were being asked to volunteer to work with
HIV positive patients. I understood the true
risks and had no fear about it. So I ended up
being involved in preparations for surgeries.
The surgeons noticed I wasn’t squeamish, I
was calm. One day they offered to send me
to England to train as a theatre nurse. And
I remember having to say to the HR person
that my problem was that I was interested in a
different kind of theatre.
IN CONVERSATION WITH MICHAEL DERVAN
23