Image Credit: Kilyan Sockalingum
International Gilbert & Sullivan Day is celebrated annually on 3rd May.
W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) were the librettist and composer respectively of fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado are among the best known.
Since their original performances, the works have been continuously performed and still are enormously popular around the world due to their wonderful music, universal themes and satirical humour which have timeless appeal.
International Gilbert & Sullivan Day is celebrated on 3rd May each year as it is the birthday of theatre impressario Richard D'Oyly Carte who brought Gilbert and Sullivan together and produced their works in his theatres.
The operas of Gilbert and Sulllivan are the perfect way to introduce children to opera and classical music, as they are both funny and moving and many of the tunes are well known having appeared in everything from advertisments and cartoons and have been borrowed by rock and pop musicians as well as comic writers.
If you want to experience the music there is a wide variety of excerpts and full scale productions available to watch on You Tube.
The annual International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, held each summer at theatres in Buxton and Harrogate UK is the perfect opportunity to see high quality, professional productions of Gilbert & Sullivan's works in a beautiful Victorian theatre.