The purpose of the group is to share the enjoyment of opera and learn more about opera through visits to live and screened operas. Group Coordinator: Julie Cooke (click to contact)

When We normally visit the opera about once a month and meet very near the performance or on the day where a knowledgeable group member gives us an introduction to the opera

Where Various venues, locally and in town

There are two components to the opera group, talks and events. 

Members of the group volunteer to give a presentation about an upcoming production, an online version, or a topic of interest. Meetings are held online on zoom every four to six weeks. They are very informative and are illustrated with musical extracts from websites or YouTube. Afterwards we have a chance to talk together and ask questions.

As well as ENO and The Royal Opera House resuming performances, many smaller companies are also now staging productions. Details of events are circulated regularly. If I buy a ticket for a show, I will let you know the date. If you also chose that day to attend then let me know, and we can all arrange to meet together before the production in the bar or venue nearby.

Some of the events attended in 2019
Queen of Spades, Tchaikovsky, film relay
Walküre, Wagner, film relay
Coronation of Poppea, performance
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Britten, performance, and pre-performance member talk
Idomeneo, Mozart, performance and pre-performance talk
La Forza del Destino, Verdi, film relay, and pre-performance talk
Maria Stuarda, Donizetti, performance

Recent Operas
The operas we have seen recently include:

• Dove's Flight
• Mozart's Marriage of Figaro
• Puccini's Tosca
• Hadan's Dream
• Verdi's Rigoletto
• Poulenc's Voix Humaine
• Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito
• Mozart's Don Giovanni
• Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle
• Puccini's La Bohème
• Handel's Giulio Cesare (Parts 1 and 2)
  
• Mozart's The Magic Flute
• R. Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier
• Weill's The Threepenny Opera
• Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience
  
• Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi
• Verdi's La Traviata
  
• Cavalli's La Calisto
• Mozart's The Magic Flute