A BOROUGH operetta group will hear from a soprano with a secret to tell, at a special event in Lower Earley.
Members of Mostly G&S will welcome professional singer Janine Roebuck, whose career began with a stint at New Sadlers Wells Opera, performing as Phoebe on their recording of The Yeomen of the Guard.
Janine followed her dream to be a professional soprano, and went on to perform in opera and musical theatre productions across the UK.
What no-one knew was that she was deaf.
She had been told at 18 that her hearing was failing, but had kept her disability a secret for 30 years.
She finally decided to go public, with support from the RNID (National Institute for Deaf People), and revealed herself to be the only deaf mezzo-soprano in the world.
Anne Curry from Mostly G&S, said: “I met Janine when we were both students at the University of Manchester and I was Barbarina to her Cherubino.
“I know what a wonderful singer and actress she became and how, despite her deafness, she has been such an inspiration for happiness.”
Janine is well known for her work as an ambassador for the deaf, as well as for her positivity.
In 2019 she took the life-changing decision to have bilateral cochlear implants.
In the press and on the BBC recently, she has spoken about this, her explanations described as ‘informative, moving and hilarious’.
“Janine has kindly agreed to give a talk on her amazing career,” said Anne.
“She has done so much as an ambassador for Action for Hearing Loss and RNID.”
Mostly G&S invites anyone who loves music and the theatre, along with anyone who has or whose loved one has a hearing loss, to come and hear Janine speak.
Refreshments will be provided, and the event is free, with a retiring collection in support of the RNID and Mostly G&S at the end.
Mostly G&S’s next production, to be performed in November is, coincidentally, Yeomen of the Guard.
Janine will speak at Brookside Church, Lower Earley, on June 27.
Doors open at 2.15pm, with the event taking place from 2.30pm until 4.30pm.
For information, visit: mostlygands.co.uk and brooksidechurch.org.uk
