Harrogate baritone Adam Green is about to take a starring role in Opera North's tour to Newcastle this week. He talks to Viv Hardwick about his career and how he's found time to notch up impressive batting scores in North Yorkshire.

IN addition to training for a charity triathlon, mountaineering and becoming a black belt in Tae Kwondo, Harrogate-born baritone Adam Green has thrown his energy into a starring role with Opera North at Newcastle this week... and scoring runs for his home village cricket team.

As a professional, he's Aeneas in Dido And Aeneas at Tyneside's Theatre Royal on Saturday.

Green's playing a Trojan Prince and explains: "It's fully staged and a cross between a prince's outfit and someone who has been washed up on a desert island. So it's a slightly raggy approach to a prince's costume or something like that."

The plot involves Dido, the queen of Carthage, finding Aeneas has arrived intending to wed her "but she has these visions and basically isn't up for it. A spirit comes down and says to Aeneas that he has to go off and found Troy so it ends with poor Dido killing herself.".

"It also has the great advantage of being only 50 minutes long and is combined with Stravinsky's ballet, Les Noces. You could argue this is unusual programming because Les Noces ends with a wedding and Dido and Aeneas did hope for a wedding but don't get one, so there are parallels."

The former head chorister of Ripon Choir School is particularly proud of his North Yorkshire roots and says: "I scored 96 not out for Markington last week against North Stainley and you can stick that in your feature. The guy the other end hit a six and a four and that took us over the winning score. I suppose I should have knocked him over the head with my bat (having missed out on the magic cricketing target of 100 not out). It would have been my debut ton. It was a good day and we enjoyed it."

Incredibly, Markington were only chasing 217 for victory so Green's effort seems all the more remarkable.

Not all performers find time for sport as well as forging a career, but the singer also runs a London-based website business which provides singers and musicians for events across the UK and Europe.

He's also currently training for a triathalon in London for cancer charities where he's going to do a 40k cycle, a 1.5k swim and 10k run.

"I can do all three in their own right but it's putting them all together that I've concerned about. Getting out of a wetsuit is not something to be underestimated," says Green, who admits he's not looking forward to swimming in the River Thames.

"You only live once so you've got to take all the opportunities that come your way," he explains.

"My mum and dad live just outside Harrogate so I can stay with them," he adds about earning the role of Aeneas through an audition. "Opera North are a wonderful company and really good to work for... young and fun and a lively company. I had done Dido and Aeneas before in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France last summer and I'm doing it again there and in Opera de Lille in France next January. It's quite popular because of its length and if people are going to do a baroque orchestra programme then it's a perfect thing," he says of the work originally created for a girl's school by Henry Purcell.

He started his singing career via the Royal Academy of Music and National Opera Studio at 27 and has been working professionally for nearly five years.

"I remember my teacher saying that the longer it takes you to get there the longer you'll stay."

He survived the financial strain caused by the long haul of training by setting up website company Perfect Pitch (www.perfectpitchmusic .co.uk) which provides music-linked entertainment for weddings and corporate events. "This sideline has helped me when there isn't much work or I'm looking for employment. We've provided hundreds of choirs and organists and God knows what for weddings, which is useful to have alongside my singing."

Green sang at his sister's wedding a fortnight ago at Bishop Monkton, North Yorkshire, which was a nice home booking compared to normal contracts in Scotland, Malta and Lake Garda in Italy.

"When I was fresh out of college and you face a couple of months not doing any work then it becomes a measure of your ability. You're in danger of thinking you're not up to it, but that's not the case. You have to fight for the work that is there," he explains about the reasons for continuing to run Perfect Pitch as his career develops.

"I'd love to come and work for Opera North again and Markington would like me to play cricket for them again. But I can't be batting and singing in the South of France... it depends who pays me most. So I'll let you know when my contract for Markington is up for renewal," he jokes.

* Dido And Aeneas runs on Saturday at Newcastle Theatre Royal at 7.15pm alongside Les Noces, which is sung in Russian.

Tonight: Opera North presents Katya Kabanova, 8pm, and Rigoletto features tomorrow at 7.15pm. Box Office: 0870-905-5060.