Harper-Leffler Company

There are five references to a company using (variations of) this name.

The Harper-Leffler Opera Company

Henry Harper, miss Annette Hirst and Mrs J.H. Leffler from the Royal Opera House, London performed six concerts of opera selections in the Commercial Exchange and the Mutual Hall, Cape Town from 5 August - 9 September 1868. They were sometimes billed as the Harper-Leffler-Hirst Company.

The Miranda-Harper Company

From December 1868 to January 1869 the Harper-Leffler Company was back for a new season, now with the addition of David Miranda (the husband of Miss Hirst ), hence the company became known as the Miranda-Harper Company. A full season of new concerts were performed during August 1869, making them not the first to perform opera in SA, but the first opera company to do so for an entire season. hey also performed in Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth.

Their repertoire for the 1869 season included performances in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, of La Somnambula (Belini), The Bohemian Girl (Balfe), Il Trovatore (Verdi), Maritana or Don Caesar de Bazan (Wallace), Lucrezia Borgia (Donizetti), The Messiah (Handel) and Martha (Flotow/Riese).

The Harper-Leffler Repertory Company, Kimberley

According to Du Toit (1988), a Harper-Leffler Company also performed as permanent ‘repertory’ company, and was active in Kimberley during the 1890s.

Sources

Bosman, 1980: 248 – 249; Du Toit, 1988

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