Waterperry Opera Festival Returns This August

Waterperry Opera Festival, the acclaimed celebration of opera and classical music, has announced its return for its annual ten-day event from August 9th to August 18th, 2024. Nestled in the picturesque surroundings of Waterperry House & Gardens in Oxfordshire, this year's festival promises to be an unforgettable experience, featuring an array of captivating productions, concerts, and workshops.

Tickets are on sale at 9 am on April 11th via www.waterperryoperafestival.co.uk. Concessions for Under 16s, Under 35s, NHS workers, and those in receipt of financial benefits and disability allowance.

Since its inception in 2017, Waterperry Opera Festival has been committed to delivering high-quality, accessible, and socially relevant productions. With a focus on bridging the gap between artists and audiences, the festival has grown to become a beacon of innovation and inclusivity in the world of opera. Families young and old, children, and classical music newcomers are all welcomed with open arms.

Waterperry Opera Festival is the perfect environment for all ages to enjoy opera, theatre, and classical music in the beautiful setting that is Waterperry House and Gardens. The open-air summer season, performed by outstanding young talent, offers audiences a unique chance to embrace the magic of outdoor theatre in a relaxed setting. From Rossini to Britten and beyond, there really is something for everyone.

Artistic Director & CEO, Guy Verrall-Withers, expressed his excitement for the upcoming season, stating, "For 2024, we have created an ambitious season of productions. With returning favourites and exciting new ventures, our broad programme has something for everyone. We are taking artistic risks to create exciting operatic experiences that will captivate the next generation of audiences, as well as delight our loyal followers. Waterperry Opera Festival is a place where all are welcome, and we want to make sure there are no barriers to any young person enjoying or engaging with classical music and opera."

This year's lineup features six spectacular productions, including:

• The Barber of Seville (10, 11, 14, 15 & 17 August): Rossini's timeless tale, filled with wit, charm, and mischief, promises to entertain and bring the joy of opera to all. The production features many famous melodies performed in English by some of the country's most exciting emerging operatic and orchestral talent, staged against the stunning backdrop of Waterperry House. Audiences are invited to enjoy high-quality performances at a fraction of the cost of other country house opera festivals, and experience the rare magic of open-air theatre on a warm summer's evening.

• The Turn of the Screw (9, 13 & 16 of August): Benjamin Britten's haunting tale of supernatural mystery and psychological drama will be staged in Waterperry's very own atmospheric 300-seater amphitheatre. This production of Britten's gripping operatic masterpiece, accompanied by full orchestra, offers audiences a unique experience with the tale unfolding across the evening as the sun sets into dusk, leaving moments of shadowed suspense and dark dramatic thrill.

• Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf (performances and workshops on the 10, 11 & 17 August): An enchanting family show combining classical music, storytelling, dance, and puppetry. This captivating musical adventure brings the outdoors alive and takes our audiences on a journey into a land of imagination and wonder. Accompanied by a wind quintet, this is a perfect first-time classical performance for young audiences, with it's whimsical nature speaking to the child in all of us.

• Nights Not Spent Alone (15, 16 & 17 August 2024): The first dramatic staging of Jonathan Dove's evocative song cycles for Mezzo-Soprano and piano, presented in the magnificent Waterperry House Ballroom. The programme will connect Dove's Nights Not Spent Alone, Five Am'rous Sighs, All You Who Sleep Tonight, and the song My Love is Mine, and offer audiences a unique opportunity to discover these emotive, theatrical works, staged in an intimate setting.

• Mozart & Mendelssohn Serenades (16 & 18 August 2024): A series of relaxed daytime classical music concerts set in Waterperry's serene Garden Glade, providing the perfect blend of music and nature. Serenades has been curated for audiences who require a relaxed approach to performances, and is accessible for those with learning disabilities, access requirements, and young families. These performances invite audiences to enjoy an easy, relaxed tempo of music in the most comfortable way that they see fit.

• Last Night of the Opera (18 August 2024) An end-of-season, joyous Opera Gala led by internationally acclaimed conductor, Bertie Baigent, featuring the Waterperry Opera Festival Orchestra and four sublime operatic soloists. Set in front of Waterperry's grand country House, this performance of classical favourites and operatic anthems celebrates the close of the 2024 Summer Festival, and promises an evening of musical brilliance and merriment for all.

Surrounded by the stunning gardens, with wonderful music floating around the site, and plenty of amenities available, a trip to Waterperry Opera Festival makes for a wonderful day out. Attendance to the festival also gets you access to the site's beautiful herbaceous borders, ornamental gardens, and the other on-site delights, such as the Waterperry Garden Centre, the Mediaeval church, the Art-in-Action Art Gallery and the Waterperry Museum.

There is an allocated picnic lawn for daytime audience members and those attending an evening performance are welcome to set their picnics up in the formal gardens for a magical interval dining experience.

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