International Gilbert and Sullivan Day 2014
As those keen followers of G & S will know, the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival is held in the UK in July/August each year.
A comment made at last year’s Magic of G & S symposium has led to the establishment of an International G & S Day, which has been embraced by enthusiasts all over the world.
The day chosen was May 3rd, which coincides with the birthday of Richard D’Oyly Carte (3 May 1844-3 April 1901), the impresario who, having seen their initial collaboration for a piece called Thespis, recognised their talent and brought them together under a formal contractual arrangement which ultimately led to the creation of a further 13 works commencing with Trial by Jury in 1875 and ending with The Grand Duke in 1896.
At this inaugural G & S Day celebration, the G & S Society of Victoria led the way with a champagne breakfast at its South Blackburn headquarters. Nineteen members fronted up for “the eggs and the ham and the strawberry jam”, plus pancakes, cereal, fruit, and of course the champagne toast to G & S and D’Oyly Carte.
This was followed by a sing-through of Trial by Jury, which the Society will be performing in conjunction with The Zoo in July.
Other Melbourne celebrations included a dinner/quiz/sing-a-long held at the Savoy Opera Company rehearsal room in Camberwell.
Overseas, the rest of the world caught up with us early on the morning of May 4th. A dinner at St Andrews, Scotland, linked to a dinner in Bingley, Yorkshire, to a ‘flash mob’ in New York, and other contributions from Cape Town, Brussels and Gosforth, UK.
G & S Opera Victoria had pre-recorded a video message which was shared to the rest of the world via a Skype link at the time of the St Andrews dinner.
We were proud to be the first group to celebrate the Inaugural International Gilbert & Sullivan Day.
Contributed by Ron Pidcock
President
Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Victoria, Inc.
Image: “the eggs and the ham and the strawberry jam” in Melbourne.
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