University News Last updated 04 September
BMus student Beth Taylor performed in the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in a semi-staged production of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Friday 16 August.
She portrayed the Second Fairy, which involved a solo in the ‘Song with Chorus’, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 live and was televised on Friday 23 August.
Beth was given this opportunity as a member of the National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCOS). Musical Director and Founder Christopher has known Beth since she was eight years old when she was a member of the Junior Chorus of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) and thought she would be interested in the role.
Beth said: “I ran it by Visiting Lecturer in Music Robin Bowman to see if he believed it was singable for me. I replied to Christopher around a week later and it was then confirmed.
“The concert was quite literally a dream! It was set at a festival, so there was lots of dancing and fun interactions throughout the performance. At one point, the whole choir was wearing donkey ears, which sadly we couldn't keep.”
Throughout the process Beth was surrounded with people who were enthusiastic and passionate about the project, such as Director Victoria Newlyn and New Zealand Conductor Gemma New.
Beth added: “I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity and still can't quite believe it happened!”