Glasgow Distillery To Host World First Opera

Glasgow Distillery Company are thrilled to announce that the (sold-out) world first opera, Navigate The Blood, will premiere at The Glasgow Distillery before touring Scotland.

Written by Sian Evans and composed by Gareth Williams (306, Dawn, Hirda, The Sloans Project) and Scottish indie-folk band Admiral Fallow, the story is inspired by the distilling industry in Scotland, and is set against the industrial backdrop of one of the country’s oldest trades.

Navigate the Blood follows the story of Bob and Lena, a husband and wife running a small independent distillery in rural Scotland. Their son Liam disappeared in mysterious circumstances three years ago. Living and working with them is a young Polish woman named Agata. She wants to modernise the distillery by making gin as well as whisky. Into this situation comes Elijah, a young man with a strange, other worldly presence. Elijah looks and moves very like the lost boy...

Kicking off at Glasgow Distillery before travelling to the distilling regions of the Lowlands, Islay, Highlands and Islands, the opera aims to attract indie fans and opera aficionados alike. Touring areas where there is no accessible opera house, Navigate the Blood will give many people an opportunity to see live opera for the first time.

A chance meeting between our co-founder, Liam Hughes, and composer, Gareth Williams, laid the foundations for one of the industry’s most unusual collaborations. ‘The Distilling Project’, which would later become Navigate The Blood, was born.

At Glasgow Distillery, we value creativity and innovation. It’s at the heart of everything we do, so we’re proud to team up with NOISE and Admiral Fallow for Navigate the Blood. This exciting new opera in an unconventional setting is a fitting tribute to the distilling industry. The juxtapision of old and new, polished and industrial, reflects the industry in the modern day. We’re proud to host the world premiere of Navigate the Blood, and welcome guests to our distillery for two, unmissable nights.”

Navigate the Blood premieres on 2ndNovember, enjoying a two night run at Glasgow Distillery before touring seven distilleries across five regions.