Cork Opera House to Present Christmas Panto Without Live Orchestra

For the first time in its 160-year history the Cork Opera House is producing its annual Christmas Panto without a live orchestra. In its place the stage performers will sing to pre-recorded karaoke backing tracks, with none of the razzamatazz of a sizzling brass section or the thrill as a master drummer catches every comic pratfall and punchline with lightning fast reflexes!

As professional theatre musicians we condemn this shortsighted cut. Highly trained, experienced instrumental performers now find themselves unemployed at what is usually their busiest time. Over a hundred young trainee musicians, on dedicated degree courses in Cork, now have to look further afield for recognition and the opportunity for employment in their chosen profession.

Generations - of the youngest theatregoers of all - have had their first experience of professional live music at a panto. As musicians, many of us were first entranced by the unique magic created by real instruments in theatrical space; recorded music, no matter how sophisticated, cannot replicate it. We applaud the Everyman Palace Theatre, Cork, who continue to include live performance by a superb band of professionals as an integral part of their production of Aladdin and we ask the Cork Opera House to engage with us to develop policies that will reverse this decision for future productions.