Auditioning now
When Alice Ford and Meg Page discover that the down-on-his-luck knight, John Falstaff, has devised a plot to woo both ladies simultaneously to get them to fund his lifestyle of excess, they are not about to take that lying down. Time for this knight to get his comeuppance in a rare Verdi comedy and the final opera he ever wrote.
Three Bridges Opera are proud to announce Verdi's Falstaff as the opera for our Spring 2025 intensive week. Inspired by William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV, Verdi closed his career with a rousing ode to love, life, and all the mess in between.
May 2025 Intensive Study week
Verdi's Falstaff
"More than a traditional masterclass, the Three Bridges Festival made me feel more artistic and creative, and that my voice was heard with kindness. A real boost to my self-confidence!"
Natacha Piletta, Soprano
Audition Procedure
All singers are asked to submit an application expressing interest and desired role with a recent recording of an aria of their choosing or excerpt from Falstaff by 30 January 2025.
Following the application deadline, applicants who pass the first round of auditions will be invited to have a virtual interview with our Director of Voice, Jacob Zualski, and festival direct Jody Dalzel-Job, after which a decision will be made on whether to offer the singer a role.
The application form is available here. Please email the completed application form and recording, along with any queries to threebridgesfestival@gmail.com.
Available Roles
Ford Baritone
Meg Page Mezzo-Soprano
Mrs. Quickly Contralto
Fenton Tenor
Dr. Caius Tenor
Bardolfo Tenor
Pistola Baritone
Programme
This year’s week-long workshop and showcase will provide an opportunity to work intensively on a pre-prepared role from Verdi's Falstaff.
The week will include voice coaching and musical direction from Director of Voice Jacob Zualski and will be accompanied by Ailsa Aitkenhead. Additionally, lectures on literary and historical context for Falstaff will be had, as well as language coaching, and career coaching.
We do not require singers to be off-book during the week, but we do ask that singers come prepared to a level where they are able to work with other singers on putting the sections together.
Jacob Zualski
“Consistently excellent” - All Edinburgh Theatre 2017
Jacob is a talented professional singer and director, dedicated to producing captivating musical and dramatic works for both physical and digital spaces. As the pre-eminent student of opera singer Dr Nell Drew, he has regularly performed as a baritone at the Edinburgh Fringe, earning the accolade 'consistently excellent' from critics for his 2017 debut performance of Don Giovanni.
He has appeared as Il Conte di Almaviva (Mozart, Le Nozze di Figaro), Count Rodolpho (Bellini, La Sonnambula), Harlekin (R. Strauss, Ariadne), Guglielmo (Mozart, Cosi fan Tutte) and Papageno (Mozart, Die Zauberflöte) alongside delivering more dramatic repertoire on the concert platform. Additionally, Jake has filmed the role of Wotan (Wagner, Die Walküre) for an international film collaboration coordinated by Dramatic Voices Programme Berlin with digital art by New York based Leanne Arnold.
As long time conductor of Aria Alba Opera for All, and Assistant Musical director at Voice Arc, Jacob has facilitated and/ or co- directed a number of works including A Little Night Music (Sondheim), Semele (Händel), La Sonnambula (Bellini), Idomeneo (Mozart) and Maria Stuarda (Donizetti).
With a thriving teaching practice and students distributed across the Northeast of England, Edinburgh and London, Jake produces robust voices with excellent technical awareness utilising the Physiological Method promoted by Dr Drew. He coaches singers across multiple genres from Opera, Classical and Music Theatre to more popular styles working with students from early years through to retiring singers.
Ailsa Aitkenhead
Ailsa Aitkenhead is a professional pianist, accompanist and piano teacher. She studied piano accompaniment at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She graduated with distinction, achieved the Alex Menzies award for an outstanding accompanist and was highly commended in the governor’s recital prize. Since then she has worked as a staff accompanist at Edinburgh University and is now the staff accompanist for St Andrews University.
She is a regular performer with Fever Candlelight Concert Series; Principal Pianist at St Marks Unitarian church, Official Accompanist for the Edinburgh Competition Festival, and the Head Accompanist for Three Bridges Opera company.
Ailsa is a frequent performer across Scotland, she has performed concerts at St Giles Cathedral, St Mary’s Cathedral; Oran Mor, Greyfriars kirk, St Stephens Church, Balerno Music Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival and many more. She has a wide range of duos and collaborations in performance.
FAQs
Our 2025 intensive study-week of Verdi's Falstaff will be held 19-25 May.
How much does participation cost?
Where are rehearsals held?
Our home is Fife, Scotland, just across the eponymous three bridges connecting Edinburgh to Fife.
The closest airport is Edinburgh, which will get you to our rehearsal venue within an hour. Travel from Glasgow will take approximately 2 hours.
What are the dates for the intensive week?
The course fee for participants is £500. Successful applicants are asked to put in a £100 deposit to secure their place. The remaining balance is due 10 May 2025.
Where can I stay during the week?
If you're travelling from afar, there is some on-site accommodation available at a reduced rate. Please inquire about availability and cost after you have been offered a place for our May intensive.
If on-site accommodation is fully booked, or you'd prefer to stay elsewhere, there are good public transport links from Edinburgh to our rehearsal venue. Want to stay across the water in Fife? Look for accommodation in North Queensferry, Rosyth, or Inverkeithing.
Who is this for?
We are looking for pre-professional and experienced amateur singers who are keen to develop their abilities for future opera roles. There is no age limit on auditioning.
Is catering provided?
Lunch is provided during the week at a small surcharge for all who would like take that offer. We can accommodate dietary requirements, so please get in touch if there's any the team should be aware of.
