Royal College of Music opera: Franz Lehár's 'The merry widow'

The 2023 Andrea Bocelli Foundation-Community Jameel scholars Henna Mun and Anastasia Koorn star in Franz Lehár's 'The merry widow' on 11-16 March 2024 at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London.

Soprano Henna Mun performs as wealthy young widow Hanna Glawari, who is set to remarry to keep her riches within the poverty-stricken Balkan province of Pontevedro. When she encounters her ex, Count Danilo, with his appetite for wine and women, misunderstandings and comedic misadventure abound.

Mezzo-soprano Anastasia Koorn is Praskowia, the wife of Pritschitsch, a retired colonel and the embassy consul for Pontevedro. A proud, formidable woman, she clings to the values of old money, and with her troupe established women looks down on Hanna and attempts to thwart the young widow's romantic affairs.

Henna and Anastasia are 2023 recipients of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation-Community Jameel scholarship at the RCM, which supports their studies at the RCM's world-renowned opera studio. Launched in 2019, the scholarship is awarded to talented musicians chosen both on merit assessed at audition and their need for support to overcome barriers and access world-class training at the college.