John Lewis Opera

The John Lewis Music Society is an amateur society organised by employees ('partners') of the John Lewis Partnership retail business. A major part of the Society's activities from 1947 until 1991 was the production each year of an opera. Caroline Dilke: "The Partnership's Opera", The JLP Gazette, 26 October 1985, pp. 910-914. The annual John Lewis Operas became notable for the rare and unusual works that were chosen,Harold D Rosenthal: Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (Oxford, OUP, 1979), p. 249. and allowed audiences to see operas, performed to a high artistic standard, that were not in the repertoire of the country's professional companies. The Society gave the first stage performances in England of a number of works, and merited an entry in the 1964 and 1979 editions of the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera.
The early performances took place in the restaurant of the Peter Jones department store in Sloane Square, but in 1960 they moved to an auditorium in the rebuilt John Lewis store in Oxford Street, and this was the venue for productions until 1988, when the auditorium was closed. Performances were subsequently given in 1989 Opera, Vol. 40, No. 7 (July 1989). pp. 876-7. and 1991 Opera, Vol. 42, No. 7 (July 1991). pp. 848-9. at the Britten Theatre of the Royal College of Music, but then ceased.
List of productions
 Caption text
Year	Opera 	Composer 	Conductor 	Producer 	
1947	The Magic Flute 	Mozart 	John Foster 	Ludovic Stewart	
1948	The Bartered Bride 	Smetana 	Ian Parrott 	Ludovic Stewart	
1949	The Marriage of Figaro 	Mozart 	Geoffrey Corbett 	Sumner Austin 	
1950	Rusalka 	Dvořák 	Geoffrey Corbett 	Sumner Austin 	
1951	Sir John in Love 	Vaughan-Williams	Geoffrey Corbett 	Powell Lloyd 	
1952	The Inquisitive Women 	Wolf-Ferrari 	Geoffrey Corbett 	Powell Lloyd 	
1953	The Beggar's Opera 	Gay 	Thomas Evans 	Harvey Unna 	
1954	Abu Hassan and 	Weber 	Denys Darlow 	Powell Lloyd 	
 	The Black Spider 	Sutermeister 	 	 	
1955	La Finta Giardiniera (one-act version) and	Mozart 	Denys Darlow 	Powell Lloyd 	
 	Le Villi (two-act version) 	Puccini 	 	 	
1956	The Kiss 	Smetana 	Denys Darlow 	Powell Lloyd 	
1957	The Merry Wives of Windsor 	Nicolai 	Colin Davis 	Anthony Besch 	
1958	La Dame Blanche 	Boieldieu 	Bryan Balkwill 	Anthony Besch 	
1959	Fortunio's Song and 	Offenbach 	Brian Priestman 	Anthony Besch 	
 	Don Procopio 	Bizet 	 	 	
1960	The Tunnel 	Hugo Cole 	James Robertson 	Anthony Besch 	
1961	La Périchole 	Offenbach 	James Robertson 	Anthony Besch 	
1962	The Three Pintos 	Weber/Mahler 	David Lloyd-Jones 	John Cox 	
1963	The Peasant a Rogue 	Dvořák 	David Lloyd-Jones 	John Cox 	
1964	L'Arlésienne 	Daudet/Bizet 	James Robertson 	Anthony Besch 	
1965	Bluebeard 	Offenbach 	James Robertson 	Anthony Besch 	
1966	The Poacher 	Lortzing 	James Robertson 	Anthony Besch 	
1967	The Travelling Companion 	Stanford 	James Robertson 	Michael Geliot 	
1968	Susannah 	Floyd 	James Robertson 	Michael Geliot 	
1969	The Grand-Duchess of Gérolstein 	Offenbach 	James Robertson 	Michael Geliot 	
1970	L'Etoile 	Chabrier 	James Robertson 	Dennis Maunder 	
1971	Shamus O'Brien 	Stanford 	James Robertson 	Dennis Maunder 	
1972	La Fille de Madame Angot 	Lecocq 	James Robertson 	Dennis Maunder 	
1973	Undine 	Lortzing 	James Robertson & Fraser Goulding (1 perf.)	Dennis Maunder 	
1974	Véronique 	Messager 	James Robertson & Fraser Goulding (1 perf.)	Dennis Maunder 	
1975	no production 	 	 	 	
1976	The Vampire 	Marschner 	James Robertson & Clive Wearing (1 perf.) 	Tom Hawkes 	
1977	Love at the Inn 	Quilter 	James Robertson & Clive Wearing (1 perf.) 	Tom Hawkes 	
1978	Les Cloches de Corneville 	Planquette 	James Robertson & Clive Wearing (1 perf.) 	Tom Hawkes 	
1979	Zar und Zimmermann 	Lortzing 	James Robertson & Clive Wearing (1 perf.) 	Tom Hawkes 	
1980	Geneviève de Brabant 	Offenbach 	James Robertson & Derek Carden (1 perf.) 	Tom Hawkes 	
1981	If I were King 	Adam 	Derek Carden 	Tom Hawkes 	
1982	Tantivy Towers 	T F Dunhill 	James Robertson & Derek Carden (1 perf.) 	Chris de Souza 	
1983	The Haunted Manor 	Moniuszko 	James Robertson & Derek Carden (1 perf.) 	Chris de Souza 	
1984	William Tell 	Grétry 	Derek Carden 	Chris de Souza 	
1985	Le Pré-aux-Clercs 	Hérold 	James Robertson & Derek Carden (2 perfs.) 	Malcolm Hunter 	
1986	Fatinitza 	Suppé 	James Robertson & Derek Carden (2 perfs.) 	Tom Hawkes 	
1987	The Siege of Rochelle 	Balfe 	Derek Carden 	Chris Newell 	
1988	Giroflé-Girofla 	Lecocq 	Derek Carden 	Tom Hawkes 	
1989	The Beggar Student 	Millöcker 	Derek Carden & Alistair Young (1 perf.) 	Tom Hawkes 	
1990	no production 	 	 	 	
1991	Tutti in Maschera 	Pedrotti 	Derek Carden & John Gibbons (1 perf.) 	Vernon Mound 	
Category:Society