Coming to a TV near you!

Entitled Pop star to Opera star, ITV’s new classical ‘reality’ show has already managed to cause a substantial stir in the media, even before it hits our screens on 15 January. The mere thought of it causes my pulse to race, teeth to clench and arguments to commence, with many people trying to fathom the intended result for the creation of such a programme.

Firstly, to call this programme a ‘reality’ show is simply obscured – for what exactly are they suggesting is ‘real’, or for that matter, truly reflective of the opera singing? I can see that the intention behind this programme is good enough – pop singers from Kym Marsh to Jimmy Osmond, who, I’m assuming have an interest in classical music – are given some first-rate tuition (in some cases) to help them use their voices in a classical way. But I can’t help but think that this is all one big plug to encourage ‘opera for the masses’. Not that I’m suggesting this isn’t appropriate, in principle. I still believe that, in many cases, opera is assumed to be a form of entertainment reserved for the elite and therefore inaccessible to many, but this isn’t to say that there isn’t equally a lot of initiative being taken by opera companies, from small amateur groups right through to the international establishments to encourage a wider audience. However, I’m reserved to think that creating a show of this sort will do anything to support this ideal. On the contrary, surely it will only prove the point that opera is a specialist art and that it is damn well hard to perform.

And if the thought of celebrities bashing out their renditions of opera favourites wasn’t enough to encourage you to take up an evening class, or read a good book, it has been rumoured that the judging panel will include the likes of Katherine Jenkins, Russell Watson and even Paul Potts – none of whom have notably sung in a professional opera production! However, the show will also see contestants coached by Mexican tenor, Ronaldo Villazón, the one genuine operatic singer in the line-up.

I’m intrigued to see how well this programme will be received and the response it creates. If anything, it is bound to encourage an interest in opera to a wider audience, but I can’t help but think that it’s just another money-making programme following this current media frenzy for music-based reality shows.