Opera Caledonia presents Kira Kaplan: Shades of Night. Praised for her “vocal power”, “youthful allure”, and “clear, piercing, coloratura virtuosity”, Opera Caledonia is delighted to welcome American soprano Kira Kaplan to Edinburgh to perform alongside Derek Clark, Scottish Opera’s celebrated former Head of Music.
Together they will present “Shades of Night”, a programme of song exploring themes of dusk, night and dawn; as night turns to morning. With music from composers including Richard Strauss and Franz Schubert to Florence Price and Benjamin Britten, “Shades of Night” will be a glorious celebration of highlights from the soprano repertoire, set amidst the Victorian splendour of the Edinburgh Society of Musicians.
Pianist Derek Clark
As a Young Artist at the prestigious National Opera Studio, Kira Kaplan worked closely with and performed at Welsh National Opera, Opera North, Scottish Opera, Glyndebourne, The Royal Opera House and English National Opera before joining Scottish Opera as an Emerging Artist in 2024. Kira has featured in lead roles in Scottish Opera’s productions of Albert Herring, Don Pasquale, Trial by Jury and A Matter of Misconduct and continues her collaboration with the company in their upcoming season, appearing as Musetta in La bohème and both Barbarina and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro. Competition successes for Kira include three consecutive Region Finalist and District Winner wins at the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Council Auditions. Kira made her Wigmore Hall debut in January 2024.
Scottish Opera’s celebrated former Head of Music, Derek Clark is an Honours graduate of the RSAMD and the University of Durham. He studied at the London Opera Centre before joining Welsh National Opera as a répétiteur in 1977, making his professional conducting debut in 1981 with Handel’s Tamerlano. During his time at Scottish Opera he conducted more than 30 operas for the company, including major works by Handel and Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Massenet, Puccini, and Gilbert & Sullivan.
Children aged 10 and above are welcome to attend this recital. They must have their own ticket and must be accompanied by a paying adult. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Artists and programme are subject to alteration.
Kira Kaplan: Shades of Night
Saturday 27th September 2025 • 7.30pm
The Edinburgh Society of Musicians
3 Belford Road, EH4 3BL
£15.00 – £25.00 (includes interval refreshments)
Running time: approx. 90mins incl. interval
book via Eventbrite (booking fee applies)
more info via operacaledonia@gmail.com
