A few weeks back saw a great milestone for our Artistic Director Jake Zualski, who has now been with us for 10 years!
Although Jake was known to the company from the very beginning for singing with some founder members at a Linlithgow Rugby Club Choir rendition of Les Miserables in 2010, it wasn’t until 2014 when he came to us as a music graduate in the role of conductor.
Soon after that, he became the comusical director of the company beside his mentor and friend, our founder Dr. Nell Drew. Over the years they produced 7 operas for us (another 4 for other companies) and side by side they led us through many challenges.
Jake has been a central figure in the development of our community this past decade, often taking on more than his role asked for. In 2018 he stepped in to direct Idomeneo at Edinburgh Fringe and in 2022 he oversaw a production of Maria Stuarda which Nell directed from her hospital bed.
Since inheriting the role of Artistic Director in 2022, Jake has produced one full scale opera, Cosi fan tutte which enjoyed successful runs at both Melrose Corn Exchange and Edinburgh Fringe. And this year he leads our company through the complexities of Carmen in a brutalist production quite unlike anything we’ve done to date. Catch it in Melrose (August 3-4) or Edinburgh Fringe (August 14-17 2024)
We look forward to many more adventures under the leadership of Jake over the coming years and thank him for the years of service he has given us.
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