A Bedford-based opera singer, who used to usher at the Royal Opera House as a student, has become one of the first people to perform on its main stage since March.
Baritone, Peter Brathwaite, performed Hannah Kendall’s one-act chamber opera, The Knife of Dawn, at the Royal Opera House on 24 October, becoming one of the first people to sing to a live audience since lockdown began.
Getting back to the day job hasn’t been the only thing Peter’s been concentrating on during the pandemic.
You may remember reading about his photography project, to explore Black portraiture, recreating over-looked works of art.
Read: Quarantine creativity puts Bedford opera singer in the picture
Since the end of March, Peter has recreated 85 portraits which began as part of the #gettymuseumchallenge and led to him recording a documentary series about the project for BBC Radio 3.
“I was creating one a day to start with,” Peter told the Bedford Independent. “But went down to one every other week in August when the documentary was commissioned.
“I started rehearsals for The Knife at Dawn on 5 October; I need to be busy, I don’t like to be sitting still for too long.”
The Knife at Dawn tells the true story of Guyanese political activist and poet Martin Carter as he reaches the 28th day of his hunger strike in protest at British rule.
The opera explores the question of whether poetry or death will be the most effective way to serve his country.
“The whole thing was very surreal,” said Peter, who studied at the Royal College of Music with the opera’s composer, Hannah Kendall, one of the few women whose work has been performed at the Royal Opera House.
“I used to usher at the Royal Opera House as a student and didn’t expect to make my debut on stage there in a one-man opera.
“It’s every opera singer’s dream to sing on that stage, so I’m extremely honoured and grateful to have had the opportunity.”
With the radio documentary now complete, Peter has been turning his attention back to photography, with a number of new portraits in the pipeline.
“It’s been so fascinating to explore the background to so many paintings,” said Peter.
“My favourite painting to recreate was The Paston Treasure as it gave me the opportunity to delve into my West Indian heritage.
“I reimagined the original with musical instruments and sheet music to reference my work and also added props relating to being a second generation immigrant.
“Researching each painting has been very similar to researching an opera. It’s definitely fulfilled my need to be creative during lockdown.”
The end of lockdown won’t mean the end of the line for the portraiture project. A book of the photographs is already in the pipeline with Getty Publications and there are also plans for a regional exhibition.
“Some of the works of art that I’ve recreated are in regional art galleries and collections,” said Peter. “It would be wonderful to see my recreations alongside the originals in venues around the UK.”
You can view Peter’s full Black portraiture archive on his Instagram page.
You can listen to the BBC Radio 3 documentary here.
