The black-tie evening begins at 6pm with a reception, followed by a concert of songs by Sir Arthur Sullivan, Sir Edward Elgar and Sir Edward German among others.

The songs will be performed by Duncan Rock, baritone (winner of the
2008 Australian Music Foundation Award) and Lisa Swayne, soprano, who comes straight from Grange Park Opera's Norma and The Cunning Little Vixen.

The music will be arranged and accompanied by Opera South Music director, Tom Higgins. The concert will be followed by a gourmet dinner
and fine wines.

The highlight of the programme will be a rare performance of Elgar's song cycle The Fringes Of The Fleet – settings of four Kipling poems – first performed in 1917 at the London Coliseum. Producer and scriptwriter Richard Fawkes will present and narrate.

Lisa explains: "The reason they are so rare was Elgar wrote them with Rudyard Kipling's words and Rudyard Kipling decided after they had become very, very popular that he really did not like them at all and had them withdrawn.

"What I will be singing are some music-hall Empire songs, very stirring stuff that would be the national anthem if it could!"

The night continues Lisa's happy association with Opera South: "I sang
for Opera South in the chorus in my gap year and I joined them again last year, just singing in the chorus again."

Lisa added: "I am from West Wittering. I was born in Winchester and we used to come down here and then we moved here when I was ten. I went to Westbourne House and then to Bryanston (School in Dorset)."

She now holds a BMus in performance from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She will also be gaining a diploma in post-graduate opera studies from the RSAMD later this year.

Recent awards include the Margaret Dick Award 2008, the Alfred C Young
medal for recital singing at the Edinburgh Competition Festival 2005, second place in the Jean Highgate Scholarship for Singing Competition (RSAMD 2005) and third place in the RSAMD Governor's Singing Recital Prize 2007.

Tickets: £60 including all wine, from Sarah Barnes on 01428 643129 or saba@haslemere.com


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