2022 Festival

Our 2022 Artistic Programme included 8 productions spread over 10 festival days in August. Our varied and exciting programme included; The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart), Svadba (Sokolovic), Peter and the Wolf (Prokofiev), Mansfield Park (Jonathan Dove), The Diary of One Who Disappeared (Janacek), Wagner at Twilight (Wagner), Figures in the Garden (Dove), and Flora (Semple/Collinson). 

The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart) 

Opera Scene
'...the production and musicianship of the opening new work of the season,
​a new Marriage of Figaro, is both highly impressive and accomplished'

Oxford Prospect Arts
"If you were anywhere else but at Waterperry last night watching this exuberant production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, you missed something special."

Diary of a Londoness
"Last night, I was invited to see the slapstick: ‘The Marriage of Figaro,’ set against the stunning backdrop of Waterperry House, a gutsy, modern re-interpretation with a young, bold troupe of singers and musicians. It was fun, frivolous and totally enchanting. My 15-year-old loved every minute..​"

Ox in the Box
​"It was exactly what I've come to expect from Waterperry Opera Festival - slick, polished, good-humoured unpretentious and irresistibly fun."

Oxford Daily Info
"This is a Figaro to be savoured and treasured (an exceptional achievement given the universal, lasting popularity of Mozart’s opera), and an evening of pure delight..."

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​​Details

This comic masterpiece headlines our 2022 festival. Evening performances will be hosted in the open-air on the front lawn of Waterperry House. Conducted by Festival Music Director Bertie Baigent, directed by Isabelle Kettle, designed by Charlotte Henery and lighting design by Sean Gleason. Performed in an English translation by Jeremy Sams, and accompanied by our very own Waterperry Opera Festival Orchestra.

Creative Team

DIRECTOR
Isabelle Kettle 

CONDUCTOR
Bertie Baigent

DESIGNER
Charlotte Henery 

LIGHTING DESIGNER
Sean Gleason

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Svadba 'A Wedding' (Sokolović)

Oxford Prospect Arts
"Waterperry Opera deserves much credit for putting on this joyously feminist and life-affirming work."

"It was a privilege to be present yesterday at the UK professional premiere of this work...as a musical experience, Svadba is both avant-garde and highly enjoyable. The Greek theatre at Waterperry made a wonderful, ideal setting, both visually and acoustically, enabling stereophonic effects and balletic spectacle to enhance the performance."

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​​Details

In August 2022 Svadba ' A Wedding' by Ana Sokolović made its UK professional premiere by a women-led cast and creative team. This virtuosic a cappella opera sung in Serbian, is a coming of age tour de force exploring the lives of six women as they discover how to navigate the poignant transition from adolescence to adulthood. Directed by Rebecca Meltzer with Conductor Lada Valešová ​this production is fulled with complete abandonment and raw energy, Sokolović’s breath-taking score envelops us in a whirlwind of ritual, music and dance. 

Creative Team

DIRECTOR
Rebecca Meltzer

MUSIC DIRECTOR
Lada Valešová

DESIGNER
Grace Venning

Peter and the Wolf (Prokofiev)

Daily Info
"Billed as a ‘much beloved symphonic fairytale’, this performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf combined a wonderfully whimsical setting, beautiful musicianship and stellar storytelling. The result was both joyful and gently educational – and a delight for all ages."

"This unique take on an old tale had children predominantly in mind – and the young audience were transfixed. I found myself hoping that this performance gets to tour schools all over the country – especially those where the pupils might otherwise think of classical music as something ‘other’ and austere.​"

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​​Details

A new dramatised production of Sergei Prokofiev's beloved symphonic fairy tale for children, directed by Artistic Director & CEO Guy Withers and conducted by Bertie Baigent. This perfect family event will introduce children to classical instruments through vibrant storytelling. Performances will take place around the lily pond in the gardens at Waterperry, and immerse families in the beauty of nature.

Creative Team

DIRECTOR
Guy Withers

CONDUCTOR
Bertie Baigent

CHOREOGRAPHER
Julia Cave

Mansfield Park (Dove)

The Telegraph
"Waterperry...proves that opera does not have to be grand to be successful."

Opera Scene
"...a delightful entertainment, full of charm and with, fine ensemble work and clear characterisation..."

The Guardian 
"​Much of the singing was again excellent"

Oxford Prospect Arts
"...the result is a version of the story full of passionate conviction."

Arts Desk 
"Mansfield Park is a beautiful piece and was beautifully done by the Waterperry singers"

★★★★★ | 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."

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​​Details

​This charming chamber opera will be directed by 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

MUSIC DIRECTOR
Bradley Wood

DIRECTOR
Rebecca Meltzer

REVIVAL DIRECTOR
Eleanor Burke

REPETITEUR
George Ireland 

The Diary of One Who Disappeared ( Janáček)

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​​Details

Performed in English, this staged production of The Diary of One Who Disappeared is directed by Guy Withers and musically directed by Ashley Beauchamp. This passionate and dark song-cycle carries the audiences on a journey through the highs and lows of love’s emotions. 

Creative Team

DIRECTOR
Guy Withers

MUSIC DIRECTOR
Ashley Beauchamp 

MOVEMENT DIRECTOR
Rebecca Reaney

Wagner at Twilight a concert of

​Siegfried Idyll and Wesendonck Lieder ​(Wagner)

  Oxford Prospect Arts 
"This idyllic evening of Wagner's most romantic music at Waterperry Opera Festival"

"They were performed last night superbly by soprano Katherine Crompton, who would make a good Isolde."

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​​​Details

Wagner at Twilight, conducted by Bertie Baigent, is an evening concert of two of Wagner’s small-scale masterpieces, performed in the stunning natural beauty of Waterperry Gardens. This intimate concert juxtaposes music expressing the purity of nature and the turbulence of human emotion: themes which are at once contrasting and yet both intensely Wagnerian. 

Creative Team

MUSIC DIRECTOR
Bertie Baigent

SOPRANO
​Katherine Crompton 

Figures in the Garden (Dove) 

​​​Details

Jonathan Dove’s FIGURES IN THE GARDEN sits flawlessly as an evening’s prequel to our headlining opera THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO. Dove explores alternative scenarios for Da Ponte’s characters drawing on musical ideas from Mozart’s operatic score. This production sees a collaboration between dance students from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and young local musicians from Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra, who will be pairing up with mentors from our Waterperry Ensemble. 

Creative Team

CONDUCTOR
Bertie Baigent 

CHOREOGRAPHER
Hubert Essakow

Flora (Semple & Collinson) 

​​​Details

​FLORA, a new commission, is a multi-disciplinary work exploring gesture and femininity through both music and dance. Created by composer and violist Anna Semple, and dancer Emily Collinson, the music is largely improvised, interwoven with traditional notation. Performed in the intimate setting of Waterperry Gardens, this visually stunning work will appeal to a wide audience.

​Creative Team

COMPOSER/VIOLIST
Anna Semple

DANCER
Emily Collinson