We are delighted to share the fascinating music and drama filled life and work of OH Michael Heyland (A 54).

Michael started the French horn at Haileybury when free lessons for a term were offered and provided by Anthony Casimir (Former Staff 1954-72), who taught all wind instruments at the school; he continued to grade five and grade 7 with merit (there was no grade 8 for the horn). Originally intended for Sandhurst like his forefathers, he decided to change and was accepted into The Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London with singing as a second study. There he met up with an organ teacher, Howard Fletcher (A 47) and after a year, he decided to join the drama section on condition that he continued to play in all the orchestras!

Early career

On leaving the Guildhall Michael went through the usual rounds of being out of work until Cyril Fletcher gave him a leading part in one of his pantomimes at the opening season of the Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon. From there he did the rounds of repertory theatre including seasons at The Theatre Royal, Stratford East and a musical at the Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square. Minor parts followed in a couple of films, radio and TV and the occasional cabaret. In 1967 he left to direct a charity campaign to produce fund raising events in Gloucestershire and a year later succeeded in passing the total of £20,000. Some of his events included an evening with The Royal Shakespeare Company, a lunch at Badminton House with an appeal by The Duke of Beaufort, Appeal President and a Stag Dinner Party with Cyril Fletcher at Stowell Park, chaired by Lord Vestey, Appeal Chairman.

Director of The D’Oyly Carte

During 1969 Michael planned to return to the theatre using his singing and acting experience, so applied to audition for the D’Oyly Carte Opera, where he was offered the position of assistant director and the following year was appointed director of productions. His first two years occupied all his memory in plotting all the principal and chorus moves in ten of the operas being toured, usually in fortnight seasons. Tours were in all the largest towns & cities no1 theatres, including the company’s orchestra. During his nine years, the company also toured Europe, Canada and USA.

In 1971 he was invited to direct a new production of The Sorcerer, with Osbert Lancaster (of Glyndebourne fame) as set and costume designer and together they created an entirely new set of chorus characters with the village band & yokels created by Michael. It toured with now a reduced group of 6 operettas with Winter seasons at Sadlers Wells in London.

Approaching the Centenary season in 1975 at the Savoy Theatre, all 13 operettas were to be staged within the two weeks so Michael whilst still on tour, directed Utopia with limited rehearsals which had not been included in the repertoire for many years because of its large cast. He changed the setting from a Western Isle to the Middle East, as there had been an oil crises and Arab countries were much in discussion! The Arab costumes & settings were more colourful than its original concept. So the Life Guards doubled as local Arabs with uniforms covered in Kaftans! This was the penultimate work during the season and because time ran out, The Grand Duke being the last Operetta, was produced as a concert performance. Utopia had one more season at the Royal Festival Hall.

Michael’s final year with the company ended with a coast-to-coast tour of Canada and USA.

Lambeth Community Festival 1978

On leaving the D’Oyly Carte Michael was appointed director of the Lambeth Community Festival which involved producing a variety of community events in the borough both indoor and outdoor parks including a inter pub darts competition sponsored by Young’s Brewery, the Evening Standard Fun Run, London’s first street run from Hyde Park Corner to a Jazz festival on Clapham Common. Ending with three concerts at the Old Vic which included The London Mozart Players.

Royal Choral Society

In 1978 Michael was appointed general manager of the Royal Choral Society which included an office in the Royal Albert Hall; the choir numbered 250 voluntary singers and about seven concerts a year were promoted in the Royal Albert and Festival Halls with the LSO and RPO as well as invitations elsewhere such as BBC’s Radio 2 Friday Night is Music Night! This contract continued for sixteen years and Michael found sponsorship for tours to France, Portugal and Poland assisted by the British Council.

Michael by now had formed his event production consultancy which included Cancer Research Campaign (now Cancer Research UK) and The Mental Health Foundation and he started working with LBC and Capital Radio. A series of fundraising events followed over the next twenty years, including the Great Picnic in Windsor Great Park in 1981 and the Great London Bike Ride in Battersea Park which ran for 17 years, and the Great English Wine Run.

Finally In the Millennium year, Michael left the Cancer Research Campaign and London to direct The Guildford Millennium ArtsFest in Stoke Park, later returning to run the small family farm in Suffolk where he leases stables and grazing to a stud. On his return to Suffolk Michael was appointed to run 5 open air events near Bury St Edmunds at Rougham Airfield which continued to his 70^th birthday.