2018 Inaugural Festival

We successfully produced our inaugural festival in August 2018; a sold-out festival for 1,000 attendees, of 5-star nationally reviewed new productions for a broad and diverse audience, made by a community of 80 young emerging artists. Headlining our festival was a bold new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni with full orchestra in our open-air amphitheatre and an immersive production of Jonathan Dove's Mansfield Park in our regency ballroom. Our programme also included durational installation performances of Barber's A Hand of Bridge, a new devised music-storytelling family show Peter Rabbit's Musical Adventure, and engaging participatory events, including: talks, masterclasses, singing workshops and programming for all ages. In 2018 we also developed our Young Artist Programme, through which we help support, train and develop young creatives.

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Don Giovanni (Mozart)

★★★★ | The Stage
"Waterperry Opera Festival makes a confident start with this punchy, modern-dress version of Mozart's opera."

★★★★ | Everything Theatre
"Like Glyndebourne but minus the dinner jacket...The quality of operatic voices and physical performance was equal to the best in London, but for half the cost or less." 

Opera Magazine
"It was a joy throughout. The director Laura Attridge...put over the action with remarkable lucidity. A fine cast had been assembled, notable for both their skill in Mozart and their committed and convincing dramatic abilities."

Oxford Daily Info
"The acoustics were excellent, and provided the perfect backdrop for getting up close and ​personal with the action, and some thrilling young singers."

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​Details

Led by director Laura Attridge, Don Giovanni will be performed in the stunning Waterperry Amphitheatre, conducted by Festival Musical Director Bertie Baigent, and accompanied by the London Young Sinfonia, our orchestra-in-residence.​ At 5pm before each performance of Don Giovanni, there will be a pre-perfomance talk in the Waterperry Amphitheatre, where the creative team will hold a discussion on the process of developing an opera production and give insight into the performance before it starts.

Creative Team

CONDUCTOR
Bertie Baigent

DIRECTOR
Laura Attridge

LIGHTING DESIGNER
Daniel Spreadborough

DESIGNER
Lizzy Leech

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Mansfield Park (Dove)

★★★★★ | Bachtrack 
"Mansfield Park sparkled with wit and ingenuity from start to finish. As intimate opera experiences go, Waterperry Opera Festival's fresh, joy-fuelled Mansfield Park sets a new benchmark of quality, vibrancy and sheer fun. ​Starting at this level, the bar is set remarkably high for next year's festival."

Opera Magazine
"Mansfield Park...was a total joy, by turns laugh-out-loud funny and shed-a-tear sad. The packed audience at the first performance give it a well-deserved standing ovation."

Oxford Daily Info
"Rebecca Meltzer’s sparkling production of Dove’s chamber opera Mansfield Park ran the gamut of every emotion: ​it moved the audience to tears during the rhapsodic standing ovation, and its two acts were an unbroken joy."

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​Details

​This charming chamber opera will be directed by Festival Director Rebecca Meltzer​ in an immersive production in the intimate regency setting of Waterperry House. Dive into Austen’s world and enjoy Dove’s magical music with this unique experience.

Creative Team

DIRECTOR
Rebecca Meltzer

MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Ashley Beauchamp

RÉPÉTITEUR​
Will Ford

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Margaret Ravalde

PUPPET MAKER
Jo Lakin

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Peter Rabbit's Musical Adventure

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​Details

This lunchtime show for families, in the gardens of Waterperry, is accompanied by The Czigány Quartet and narrated by actor Oskar McCarthy. Peter Rabbit's Musical Adventures offers music interwoven with story-telling in a dynamic family theatre experience. Not to be missed.

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A Hand of Bridge (Barber)

Opera Magazine
"Cunningly Conceived"

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​Details

A Hand of Bridge is a quirky 10-minute jazz opera by Samuel Barber with a libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti. With a cast of emerging talent all from our Young Artist Programme, this production will be led by YA Director Crispin Lord and YA Musical Director Trojan Nakade. It will be performed as an installation in Waterperry House - visitors can attend for free and walk about and the around the action as it happens. A perfect introduction to how exciting and different opera can be.

Creative Team

DIRECTOR
Crispin Lord

MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Trojan Nakade

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Talks, Workshops & Free Concerts

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​Details

'COME & SING!' OPERA CHORUS WORKSHOP

Our 'Come & Sing!' workshops are 45-minute sessions that offer anyone interested in singing an opportunity to give opera a go. These short sessions are the perfect introduction to singing opera, in an informal group environment. Participants will learn a short opera chorus, led by our Musical Director Bertie Baigent, and finish with a sing-through with our orchestra-in-residence. The workshops will be the same on both the 18th and 19th August.

YOUNG ARTIST MASTERCLASS

Our Young Artist Masterclass is led by Mark Wilde, Professor at the Royal Academy of Music. This masterclass is an opportunity to see our Young Artists perform and workshop arias and songs free of charge. Join the conversation and learn about the process of developing into an opera singer. This is a FREE event.

PRE-PERFORMANCE TALKS

​Those with a ticket to a performance of Don Giovanni will be able to attend a free pre-performance talk in the Waterperry Amphitheatre. Our team will hold a discussion on the process of developing an opera production and give insight into the opera before the performance starts.

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