Mother Language Day 21 February

By Mike Raggett19th February 202319th February 2023 News 21 February, Bangladesh, BBC Media Action, Milton Rahman, Mother Language Day, UNICEF Leave a comment

I was asked by one of my Bangladeshi friends to write a piece about the importance of mother language to appear in a Bangla newspaper the weekend before the celebration of Mother Language Day. This was originally a Bangladeshi initiative that was adopted globally by UNICEF in 1999. The theme for 2023 is education and…

A night at the opera with an early Wagner opera

By Mike Raggett8th February 20238th February 2023 Reviews Ekaterina Gubanova, Gerald Finley, Jasmin Vardimon, Lise Davidsen, Mika Kares, Norbert Ernst, Richard Wagner, Royal Opera House, Sarah Dufresne, Sebastian WEigle, Stefan Vinke Leave a comment

Tannhäuser Royal Opera House 7 February 2023 The opening sounds of the familiar overture allayed my initial annoyance that the principal Stefan Vinke was indisposed and would be acting but not singing with Norbert Ernst singing the role from the side of the stage. This happened at Glyndebourne last year at The Wreckers and while…

VR Training – writing for avatars

By Mike Raggett20th May 202220th May 2022 News Amsterdam, Learning and Development, Lepaya, Power Skills, Training, Virtual Reality Leave a comment

Verbalists has been selected by international training provider Lepaya to develop interactive scripts for training modules delivered through Virtual Reality devices. We have written plenty of scripts over the years for actors and narrators to deliver, but this is a new departure. The project all kicked off with a number of online video calls with…

Music restoration continues

By Mike Raggett10th September 202127th September 2021 News Giovanni Battista Draghi, Henry Purcell, John Blow, KIng Charles II, King's Place, Louis Grabu, Oliver Cromwell, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Restaurant Yoshino, Steven Devine Leave a comment

The second blog in the series was posted on Thursday 23 September and has a footballing theme among other divertissements. If you’ve read this post before click here for Blog 2, if not read on and it’ll be at the end as well. I was asked by the Director of Communications at my favourite classical…

Music with a difference

By Mike Raggett15th August 202115th August 2021 News, Reviews Alan Skidmore, Hundred Years Gallery, Mark Wastell Leave a comment

So after my new efforts at music reviewing featuring classical concerts and opera, a further opportunity presented itself in August when my friends Alan Skidmore and Mark Wastell invited me to an experimental gig they were playing at the Hundred Years Gallery in London’s Hoxton.

Can’t stop reviewing

By Mike Raggett7th July 20217th July 2021 Reviews Bruno Ravella, Colin Judson, country house opera, Der Rosenkavalier, Derrick Ballard, Douglas Boyd, Eugene Onegin, Feasts at Garsington, Fleur Barron, Garsington, Glyndebourne, Hanna Hipp, Jonathan MacGovern, Jordan de Souza, Liz Ranken, Madison Leonard, Malcolm Rippeth, Mark Getty, Matthew Rose, Miah Persson, Michael Boyd, Natalia Tanasii, Philharmonia, Richard Strauss, Sam Furness, Tchaikovsky, Tom Piper, Wormsley Estate Leave a comment

So following our trip to Glyndebourne, we’ve twice been to the other famous country house opera venue Garsington Opera at Wormsley, the estate of Mark Getty in Buckinghamshire. The operas take place in a fabulous glass pavilion where natural light and open access are often used to good effect by the production teams. There was…

Working with Watford FC

By Mike Raggett8th February 20238th February 2023 News 100 Years at Vicarage Road, Watford FC' Leave a comment

Many know that I’m a Watford season ticket holder and had the privilege of writing a book marking 25 years of it charity arm the Community Sports & Education Trust back in 2017. Well 2022 saw the 100th anniversary of the club’s move to its new home at Vicarage Road and again I’ve been lucky…

Review 2 – Kat’a Kabanova at Glyndebourne

By Mike Raggett5th June 20217th July 2021 Reviews Aigul Akhmetshina, Alessandro Carletti, Damiano Michieletto, David Butt-Philips, Glyndebourne, Janacek, Kat'a Kabanova, Katarina Dalayman, Kateřina Kněžíková, London Philharmonic Orchesttra, Nicky Spence, Robin Ticciati, Thomas Atkins Leave a comment

GLYNDEBOURNE IN JUNE Following his review of a filmed concert by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in January, Mike Raggett was able to attend a Glyndebourne event in person in June. Here’s what he saw. Kat’a Kabanova by Laos Janacek directed by Damiano Michieletto conducted by Robin Ticciati with the London Philharmonic Orchestra…

New string to the bow?

By Mike Raggett1st June 20217th July 2021 Reviews Alina Ibragimova, Andrew Mellor, Brahms Violon Concerto, Chi Chi Nwanoku, Chineke!, Glyndebourne, Mark Elder, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Leave a comment

Perhaps a new career beckons … A bit of context.I am a big fan of an orchestra called the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. I’m a ‘friend’ for priority booking and occasional special treats one of which is monthly sessions in pubs (Zoom for the last year) to meet the members of the band so…

Rugby World Cup Japan Guide for CNN

By Mike Raggett4th April 2019 News 101 Great Things about Japan, CNN, Mike Raggett, Olympics Tokyo 2020, Paralympics Tokyo 2020, Rugby World Cup 2019 Leave a comment

This article went live on the CNN website on April 1 but it was no joke. After reading Mike Raggett’s book 101 Great Things about Japan, CNN’s London Bureau asked Mike to contribute a guide to Japan for visitors to the Rugby World Cup. 1500 words and a dozen or so photographs later this appeared. We hope…