One of Britain’s brightest young opera stars is looking forward to letting his hair down when the English National Opera makes history next week at the Lowry.
Caspar Singh is to take the lead role in Benjamin Britten’s comic opera Albert Herring which ENO is staging for the first time.
After the village elders declare none of the girls in the village are suitable to be crowned May Queen due to their lack of morals, shy grocer’s boy Albert is made King of the May.
Toasting his success with run-spiked lemonade leads to Albert disappearing and enjoying a wild night of debauchery which changes his life.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind process getting ready for this,” said Caspar, “but it’s also really exciting.
“It’s a great privilege to be doing this role and it’s also great fun. With Albert you get to do something that you don’t often get to do because you get to play a number of characters within the one role.
“It’s a process which I’ve enjoyed exploring through rehearsals and it’s very different to other Britten roles I’ve done before.”
Caspar trained at London’s Guildhall School of Music where his talent was soon spotted. He was was principal Mozart tenor at the Komische Oper Berlin from 2022 to 2024 and has performed at opera houses across Europe. He also performed at the opening night of this year’s BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.
As Albert, Caspar has to take his character from being a shy, downtrodden mummy’s boy to becoming something of a rebel - albeit an alcohol-fuelled rebel.
“Oh that's something that comes naturally to me,” he laughed. “Actually I was rather straight-laced as a teenager. I was a chorister so my life was regimented and I was constantly busy with work.
“I enjoy nights out here and there although I’m not so much a club person; a nice jazz bar with a cocktail is more my bag.”
Having got married last year and with a six-week old daughter coupled with a punishing work schedule means Caspar has little time for nights on the town.
“I’m very privileged to be doing what I’m doing,” he said.
“The wonderful thing about Albert is that there are so many layers to the character. The piece is very much about him coming of age.
“Technically it’s not the most challenging role I will ever sing in my life but then again, Britten opera is never easy, there are always intricacies in there.
“But the most important thing is the character. It’s a really nice thing to have in your mindset. It means I can really dive into the character and not worry so much with the singing part of it; I know that I can do that and that allow me to find nuances with the character.
“Each time I get on stage with this role I’m finding different things and I’m sure I’ll continue to do that, particularly in front of different audience who always take your performance to another level.”
Caspar believes that the production is ideal for anyone not sure about opera but willing to give it a try.
“I’d say it’s very accessible,” he said. “For a start it’s sung in English which immediately helps an audience member new to opera. Plus there’s a strong comedy element to it.
“And I also think it’s very relatable. It’s set in a small town where there are many different characters we can all recognise and then you’ve got Albert who is not sure of who is is but is looking for a bit of freedom.
“Also it’s not incredibly long - it’s not five hours of Wagner - which again is a good thing for a new audience.”
Although initially billed as a semi-staged production, audiences are in for a treat.
“It’s as close to a full production as you can get,” said Caspar. “We’re all in costume, there ‘s lots of props, there’s scenery. If feel like I’m in a full-blown production. I certainly don’t think the audience is going to miss out at all.”
Caspar is hoping that the production will appeal to younger audiences.
“Some of the themes are so relatable,” he said.
Albert Herring marks the English National Opera’s first time at the Lowry marking the beginning of a partnership between the two great arts institutions.
“I’m so delighted I get the opportunity to take this show out of London,” said Caspar. It will be the first time for me performing in Manchester and to bring this to another audience is great.
“We want people all over the UK getting excited about opera and ENO are real champions of that.”
Lowry chief executive Julia Fawcett OBE, said: “We are delighted to welcome English National Opera to Greater Manchester and look forward to the forthcoming production of Albert Herring which we are delighted to present direct from London.
“This landmark moment and partnership will help bring the magic of opera to even more people across the North West, opening doors for new audiences to experience what we know will be an unforgettable performance.”
Albert Herring is at the Lowry, Salford, on Tuesday, October 21 and Wednesday, October 22. Details from www.thelowry.com
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