Amateur Operatic Society ⋆ Ross and Cromarty Heritage

Amateur Operatic Society

Attribution: unknown (The ruin of Free Church in Jamestown)

Introduction

The Chairman of the Strathpeffer Amateur Operatic Society, John M.M. Fleck, in his Foreword to the programme of ‘The Yeoman of the Guard’ (1971) wrote –

The Strathpeffer Amateur Operatic Society began in 1958, and ever since has been delighting audiences with its performances of Gilbert and Sullivan Operas. Its reputation has been achieved by much hard work and co-operation, but three people stand out as those most responsible for its high standards.

Lt. Col. Olaf Macleod, was the Society’s founder and Chairman until 1970. The magnificent costumes and scenery which characterize our productions have been designed, and in many cases made, by him. He has directed the Society’s affairs with great wisdom and energy, and its members fully realise how much they owe him and his wife.

The heavy responsibilities of these twelve years have taken their toll of time and health, and for the time being Colonel and Mrs Macleod are taking a rest from active participation in the Society.

We are fortunate in still having Mr Fred Henson who has been Musical Director from the beginning. His quiet but thorough training of the singers has given great pleasure to both members and audiences. This year he achieves his ambition of having an Orchestra to bring out the beauties of Sullivan’s fine score. Next year for the first time we shall be tackling a non-Gilbert and Sullivan Opera.

If you would like to take part in this production and are not at present a member of the Society, please complete the tear-out portion on page 5 and hand in to the Box Office as you leave the hall.

Attribution: unknown

Elizabeth Burns recalled in January 2002 the following

Col. Olaf Macleod (founder member and Chairman) designed, and, with some assistance, physically made the sets for the G. and S. operas. Being employed by the Hydro Electric he had available large stocks of strong cardboard (the cartons in which cookers, fridges, etc. were packed). He himself painted the back-cloths. He also designed all the costumes for G. & S. and these were made by the company. At the AGMs Olaf would show us a minature set painted in a shoe box with full backcloth and wings and one or two cardboard cutout figures in costume.

After 1970 costumes were designed by Elizabeth Burns, Esther Jones and Ruth Gilvray. Sets were (mainly) by John Crawford.

John Fleck, who produced most of the later Viennese and other operettas, organised the moves he wanted the cast to make, with a supply of pennies and halfpennies, labelled with the letter or number of each chorus member. These he moved about on his table and wrote down the resulting positions for instruction of the chorus.

Attribution: unknown

Productions

1959 The Mikado
1960 HMS Pinafore
1961 The Gondoliers
1962 Iolanthe
1963 Princess Ida
1964 The Yeomen of the Guard
1965 The Mikado
1966 The Gondoliers
1967 Patience
1968 Pirates of Penzance
1969 Iolanthe
1970 Ruddigore
1971 The Yeomen of the Guard
1972 The Merry Widow
1973 The Maid of the Mountains
1974 The Mikado
1975 Die Fledermaus
1976 Gipsy Queen
1977 The Pirates of Penzance
1978 White Horse Inn
1979 Glorious Gilbert and Sullivan
1980 Lilac Time
1981 The Merry Widow
1982 La Vie Parisienne

Attribution: unknown

View photographs from some of the productions

We have received some photographs from some of the productions which we have included in albums on this page. We also have further details of a couple of the productions, so please do visit the pages for more information.

Click on photo album to view thumbnails and then click thumbnail to see the full size images

Strathpeffer » Strathpeffer Social » Strathpeffer Burns Club

Burns Cover

The photographs and text which follow concern the annual Burns Nicht Celebration which took place in the Strathpeffer Hotel on Friday 21st January, 2000. The picture below is of the cover of the programme of events of 'The Nicht's Ongauns' The programme was sponsored by Andy Henderson and printed by the Inver-Ross Printing Co. Ltd. Dingwall There are also photographs of the proceedings from the 29th Anniversary Dinner - 23 January 1959

Burns Photo

29th Anniversary Dinner - 23 January 1959

29th Anniversary Dinner - 23 January 1959 In May 2019 RCHS received the undernoted photographs of a 1959 programme from Mrs Hazel Thomson whose husband's grandfather, Andrew Macleod of Kinettas Cottages, a local postman, had attended the dinner.

29th Anniversary Dinner - 23 January 1959

Guest

Strathpeffer Burns Club

Friday 21st January 2000 was the night that the members of Strathpeffer Burns Club had been looking forward to for many months - the 70th Annual Celebrations of the Bard to be held by the Club. To mark both the Millennium and the 70th Anniversary, a record attendance for recent years - ninety members and guests - assembled in Strathpeffer Hotel.

Guests

Bob Wilkie

Guests

Strathpeffer Burns cover

The President (Jock Watt) and principal guests

Guests

Piper

Addressing the haggis

Addressing the haggis. After a sumptuous meal purveyed by Sean Kennedy and his staff, the President gave his welcoming address during which he had made special mention of the fact the celebration was being photographed by Dr Kerr Yule for the benefit of the Ross and Cromarty Heritage Society's Millennium project. He also thanked member George Thomson for the gift to the Club of a beautiful table lectern which had belonged to his late wife, the Rev Morag Thomson. In concluding his remarks, President Jock Watt alluded to the fact that since 1958, member Leon Radin had served in every office, had proposed all the various toasts, had sung at many celebrations and finally, had, for many years, served the Club as President. In recognition of his faithful service, dedication and commitment to the Club, Leon was presented with Honorary Life Membership of the Club.

Receiving the haggis.

Speeches

Guests

strathburnsclub022b.jpeg

Hamish Polson

Guests

John Crawford and Alexander (Sandy) Glass

Jock Watt doing some last-minute homework?

Guests

Catherine O'Rourke

Fiona Larg, Alistair MacCallum, Leon Radin.

Donald MacKillop piping the President, Jock Watt and the principal guest, Ian Morrison, to the top table

The night got off to a stirring start with Donald MacKillop piping the President, Jock Watt and the principal guest, Ian Morrison, to the top table and returning shortly after to pipe the Haggis, which was borne aloft in the customary manner by James Matheson, to the top table. The tempo was maintained by the President who addressed the Haggis in his own inimitable style much to the delight of his audience.

Fiona Larg getting instructions?

Fiona Larg getting instructions? Responding to Bill MacAllister's excellent Toast, Fiona Larg, Group Business Manager with Cap Gemini, very capably equalled Bill's humour putting the men folk firmly in place. She questioned whether today's men possessed the same charm that Robert Burns obviously possessed - again illustrating her theory with much wit. Fiona concluded by making the observation that if the three wise men had been women, they would have got there on time, helped with the birth, cooked a casserole and would have taken sensible presents. Again, a standing ovation was the order of the day as the audience expressed their delight at Fiona's response to the Toast of the Lassies.

Bill MacAllister

Bill MacAllister That well known journalist and broadcaster, Bill MacAllister was then called upon to Toast the Lassies. A speech, full of the native wit alluded to by Alastair MacInnes earlier in the evening, had the audience in tears of laughter before moving to a more serious examination of Burns's love of women quoting appropriately from many of his love poems. Bill concluded with his own ode to the women folk, reaping a standing ovation to his endeavour.

An animated Stewart Macpherson with Hamish Menzies in the background.

Hugh A Mackay

Hugh A Mackay Hugh Aberach MacKay, one of the north's foremost Burns orators himself, very eloquently proposed the Toast to Our Club and Artistes.

Click on photo album to view thumbnails and then click thumbnail to see the full size images

Unknown Productions

While creating this website we found some photos from the Operatic Society which weren’t associated with any production. If anyone knows which production any of these photos belongs to, please contact us and let us know.