Geoffrey Shovelton
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Shovelton is an English
singer and illustrator best known for his performances with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
in the 1970s.
After a brief teaching career, Shovelton began to perform professionally in oratorio
and opera
. He joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera company in 1975, playing the leading tenor
roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan
operas until the company closed in 1982. He also made a few recordings with the company. Thereafter, he continued to perform in Savoy operas and concerts, often touring in the U.S. He also directed some of these productions and various amateur productions. Shovelton has also illustrated books, journals and promotional materials, mostly in connection with Gilbert and Sullivan.
in Lancashire
, England. After graduating from Thornleigh College (Bolton), and the Universities of Hull
and London
, Shovelton began a career in education. For several years he was senior Geography
master in a grammar school
. Meanwhile, he continued to play the piano and organ, and his vocal talent grew under the direction of Dino Borgioli, Roy Henderson and Denis Dowling. His musical studies at this time included voice production, oratorio, lieder and opera. In 1964 and 1965 Shovelton received awards in singing competitions aat Hertogenbosch in Holland and Verviers in Belgium
, and these decided him on a career in opera
.
Messiah
, Haydn's
Creation, Mendelssohn's
Elijah
, and Verdi's
Requiem
. Early in his career he played principal roles with Opera for All, Nonsuch Opera, Chelsea Opera Group, Tayside Opera, Basilica Opera, and Scottish Opera
. His roles included Roderigo in Verdi's Otello
, Don Curzio in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro
, and Lysander in Benjamin Britten
's A Midsummer Night's Dream
. His introduction to the Savoy Operas came with the then well-known touring companies Gilbert and Sullivan for All and The World of Gilbert & Sullivan.
Having joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company as principal tenor during the 1975-76 season, Shovelton first played the Duke of Dunstable in Patience
, Tolloller in Iolanthe
, Nanki-Poo in The Mikado
, Colonel Fairfax in The Yeomen of the Guard
, and Luiz in The Gondoliers
. In 1977 he added to his repertoire the roles of Cyril in Princess Ida
and Box in Cox and Box
when those works were revived. He played the Defendant in a special performance of Trial by Jury
in 1978 at London's
Middle Temple Hall to commemorate the Bar Musical Society's first hundred concerts. In April 1979 he left the D'Oyly Carte organisation in order to tour with several other former D'Oyly Carte singers in a group that he founded, The Gilbert and Sullivan Companions. He also took other singing assignments. In 1980, he rejoined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, continuing with them until the company closed in February 1982.
Despite the closure of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Shovelton has continued to perform Gilbert and Sullivan. With the London Savoyards, he played Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore
, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance
, and the Defendant in Trial by Jury. Shovelton frequently toured North America with, among others, Kenneth Sandford
, John Ayldon
and Lorraine Daniels, with a concert programme, created by Shovelton, called The Best of Gilbert and Sullivan. In the 1990s, he performed on occasion at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
in Buxton, England.
Each summer since 1985, he has performed in the productions of the Savoy Operas at the Gawsworth Hall
Open Air Festival in Cheshire
. Together with his wife, Deborah Clague, an American soprano
and choreographer, he has directed numerous Gawsworth Hall productions since 1995. He has also directed Gilbert and Sullivan operas for a number of amateur groups on both sides of the Atlantic. The Shoveltons now live in The United States, where they have continued their involvement in Gilbert and Sullivan by directing productions for the Hancock County (Maine) Gilbert and Sullivan Society (2003 – 2006), among others.
, as well as for all the Gawsworth Hall productions. The New York
branch of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society honoured Geoffrey Shovelton by making him its Honorary President, and Shovelton's cartoons have graced their monthly newsletter, The Palace Peeper, for over two decades. Shovelton also illustrated Harry Benford's The Gilbert and Sullivan Lexicon. He also creates Gilbert and Sullivan themed Christmas and note cards.
. He also appears on recordings by The Best of Gilbert and Sullivan a number of compilation albums and on such opera albums as Verdi's Don Carlos
. Shovelton is also a soloist in the concert video recording, "Gilbert & Sullivan Present their Greatest Hits," from Royal Albert Hall
in 1983.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
singer and illustrator best known for his performances with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
in the 1970s.
After a brief teaching career, Shovelton began to perform professionally in oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. He joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera company in 1975, playing the leading tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
operas until the company closed in 1982. He also made a few recordings with the company. Thereafter, he continued to perform in Savoy operas and concerts, often touring in the U.S. He also directed some of these productions and various amateur productions. Shovelton has also illustrated books, journals and promotional materials, mostly in connection with Gilbert and Sullivan.
Life and career
Shovelton was born in AthertonAtherton, Greater Manchester
Atherton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire. It is east of Wigan, north-northeast of Leigh, and northwest of Manchester...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. After graduating from Thornleigh College (Bolton), and the Universities of Hull
University of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
and London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, Shovelton began a career in education. For several years he was senior Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
master in a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
. Meanwhile, he continued to play the piano and organ, and his vocal talent grew under the direction of Dino Borgioli, Roy Henderson and Denis Dowling. His musical studies at this time included voice production, oratorio, lieder and opera. In 1964 and 1965 Shovelton received awards in singing competitions aat Hertogenbosch in Holland and Verviers in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and these decided him on a career in opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
.
Stage career
Shovelton first sang professionally in oratorio, performing in works including Handel'sGeorge Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
, Haydn's
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
Creation, Mendelssohn's
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
Elijah
Elijah (oratorio)
Elijah, in German: Elias, is an oratorio written by Felix Mendelssohn in 1846 for the Birmingham Festival. It depicts various events in the life of the Biblical prophet Elijah, taken from the books 1 Kings and 2 Kings in the Old Testament....
, and Verdi's
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
Requiem
Requiem (Verdi)
The Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi is a musical setting of the Roman Catholic funeral mass for four soloists, double choir and orchestra. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist much admired by Verdi. The first performance in San Marco in Milan on 22 May...
. Early in his career he played principal roles with Opera for All, Nonsuch Opera, Chelsea Opera Group, Tayside Opera, Basilica Opera, and Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies funded by the Scottish Government...
. His roles included Roderigo in Verdi's Otello
Otello
Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
, Don Curzio in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
, and Lysander in Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
's A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream (opera)
A Midsummer Night's Dream is an opera with music by Benjamin Britten and set to a libretto adapted by the composer and Peter Pears from William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream...
. His introduction to the Savoy Operas came with the then well-known touring companies Gilbert and Sullivan for All and The World of Gilbert & Sullivan.
Having joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company as principal tenor during the 1975-76 season, Shovelton first played the Duke of Dunstable in Patience
Patience (opera)
Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride, is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. First performed at the Opera Comique, London, on 23 April 1881, it moved to the 1,292-seat Savoy Theatre on 10 October 1881, where it was the first theatrical production in the...
, Tolloller in Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
, Nanki-Poo in The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
, Colonel Fairfax in The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
, and Luiz in The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances , closing on 30 June 1891...
. In 1977 he added to his repertoire the roles of Cyril in Princess Ida
Princess Ida
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances...
and Box in Cox and Box
Cox and Box
Cox and Box; or, The Long-Lost Brothers, is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by F. C. Burnand and music by Arthur Sullivan, based on the 1847 farce Box and Cox by John Maddison Morton. It was Sullivan's first successful comic opera. The story concerns a landlord who lets a room to two...
when those works were revived. He played the Defendant in a special performance of Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
in 1978 at London's
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Middle Temple Hall to commemorate the Bar Musical Society's first hundred concerts. In April 1979 he left the D'Oyly Carte organisation in order to tour with several other former D'Oyly Carte singers in a group that he founded, The Gilbert and Sullivan Companions. He also took other singing assignments. In 1980, he rejoined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, continuing with them until the company closed in February 1982.
Despite the closure of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Shovelton has continued to perform Gilbert and Sullivan. With the London Savoyards, he played Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
, and the Defendant in Trial by Jury. Shovelton frequently toured North America with, among others, Kenneth Sandford
Kenneth Sandford
Kenneth Sandford was an English singer and actor, best known for his performances in baritone roles of the Savoy Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan....
, John Ayldon
John Ayldon
John Ayldon is an English opera singer, best known for his performances in bass-baritone roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.-Life and career:...
and Lorraine Daniels, with a concert programme, created by Shovelton, called The Best of Gilbert and Sullivan. In the 1990s, he performed on occasion at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival is held every summer at the Opera House in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. The three-week Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan performances and fringe events attracts thousands of visitors, including performers, supporters, and G&S enthusiasts from all...
in Buxton, England.
Each summer since 1985, he has performed in the productions of the Savoy Operas at the Gawsworth Hall
Gawsworth Hall
Gawsworth Old Hall is a Grade I listed country house in the village of Gawsworth, Cheshire, England. It is a timber-framed house in the Cheshire black-and-white style. The present house was built between 1480 and 1600, replacing an earlier Norman house...
Open Air Festival in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. Together with his wife, Deborah Clague, an American soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
and choreographer, he has directed numerous Gawsworth Hall productions since 1995. He has also directed Gilbert and Sullivan operas for a number of amateur groups on both sides of the Atlantic. The Shoveltons now live in The United States, where they have continued their involvement in Gilbert and Sullivan by directing productions for the Hancock County (Maine) Gilbert and Sullivan Society (2003 – 2006), among others.
Illustrations and cartoons
As an artist, Shovelton designed the programme cover for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's last night at the Adelphi TheatreAdelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a 1500-seat West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiving house for a variety of productions, including many musicals...
, as well as for all the Gawsworth Hall productions. The New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
branch of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society honoured Geoffrey Shovelton by making him its Honorary President, and Shovelton's cartoons have graced their monthly newsletter, The Palace Peeper, for over two decades. Shovelton also illustrated Harry Benford's The Gilbert and Sullivan Lexicon. He also creates Gilbert and Sullivan themed Christmas and note cards.
Recordings
With the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Shovelton recorded Luiz in The Gondoliers (1977), Box in Cox and Box (1978) and Fairfax in The Yeomen of the Guard (1979). In 1978 he narrated the Company's recording of The ZooThe Zoo
The Zoo is a one-act comic opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by B. C. Stephenson, writing under the pen name of Bolton Rowe. It premiered on 5 June 1875 at the St. James's Theatre in London , concluding its run five weeks later, on 9 July 1875, at the Haymarket Theatre...
. He also appears on recordings by The Best of Gilbert and Sullivan a number of compilation albums and on such opera albums as Verdi's Don Carlos
Don Carlos
Don Carlos is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French language libretto by Camille du Locle and Joseph Méry, based on the dramatic play Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien by Friedrich Schiller...
. Shovelton is also a soloist in the concert video recording, "Gilbert & Sullivan Present their Greatest Hits," from Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
in 1983.
External links
- Shovelton on the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Photo of Shovelton in Iolanthe
- Shovelton and the Last Night of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1982