What's Dorset Opera all about?
Hailed by critics as spirited, plucky, enterprising, phenomenal, spectacular, magnificent, great and unique, Dorset Opera has consistently thrilled opera lovers since 1974. This is no mean achievement for a company based in a small and largely rural county. But the truly remarkable thing that distinguishes Dorset Opera is the way it brings together experienced and often internationally acclaimed professionals to work with a mainly young amateur chorus and stage crew, educating and inspiring them, to produce work of extraordinary quality.
The 2012 Summer School
Chorus members learn, rehearse and publicly perform two fully staged operas (Verdi's Il trovatore and Puccini's Suor Angelica) in the original Italian, (from scratch), in two intensive fun-packed weeks. You receive the constant support and guidance of opera professionals, including the director, conductor and chorus master, under the inspiration of working closely with a cast of international soloists and Dorset Opera's renowned professional orchestra. Technical theatre students work backstage under the expert tutelage of our Technical Director and Production Manager. You will able to gain experience in set construction, painting, prop-making, lighting design, costume-making and stage crewing. The campus venue is Bryanston, Blandford Forum in the heart of Dorset, and the course runs from early evening on Friday 13 July to the morning of Sunday 29 July 2012 inclusive (with five alternating performances from 25 – 28 July). To find out more, please click here.
What makes it so special?
Dorset Opera is loved and appreciated by performers, critics and opera-goer alike.
- Is it the educational aspect of the two-week residential summer school, and way it succeeds in inspiring the younger members of the chorus and stage crew?
- Is it the relaxed and friendly environment afforded by Bryanston and the beautiful surroundings?
- Is it the unique way in which high calibre professional soloists, orchestra and production staff, blend with an enthusiastic amateur chorus and stage crew to produce performances of such quality?
Dorset Opera holds a unique place in the opera community. In this website we aim to share with you a flavour of the Company - past, present and future - and invite you to join us as a participant, a financial supporter or a spectator.
In 2003 we brought Ferenc Erkel’s Hunyadi László to Britain; the dramatic and tuneful opera that laid the foundation for a true Hungarian national opera. As part of the preview of a Hungarian celebration “Magyar Magic 2004” marking their forthcoming entry into the EU, performances were given in Dorset (the last in Sherborne, our home of 29 years) and London. Read more.
In 2005 we performed Verdi's Nabucco to full houses in our new venue The Coade Theatre at Bryanston. To read more please click here.
In 2006 we staged a neglected and rarely-performed masterpiece – Massenet’s Hérodiade. It featured an international cast headed by the renowned British mezzo, Rosalind Plowright, in the title rôle. The performances were sold out, with both audiences and critics lauding the production. Read more.
The Dorset Opera coup in 2007 was the British Stage Première of Puccini’s Turandot featuring the new completion by the illustrious Italian composer, Luciano Berio. Two performances of the Berio were alternated with two of the shorter Alfano completion. Read more.
Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers followed in 2008, and proved an extremely popular choice all round. The Times gave the production four stars! Two stunning casts led by the sensational young Italo-American tenor Leonardo Capalbo and British soprano Janis Kelly, attracted record numbers – enabling us to double our audience in just two years. Read more.
The double-bill of Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci in 2009 was described by many as our ‘finest hour’. National and local reviews were sensational, with the industry journal Opera Now, telling the world that: ‘This (Cav&Pag) was provincial opera to national standards.’ Read more.
Carmen (our third offering over the 38 years) was the highly popular 2010 production that played to jam-packed houses. Read more.
For the inaugural Dorset Opera Festival in 2011, it was Puccini's evergreen Tosca and Verdi's incredible masterpiece Otello that appeared in our repertoire for the very first time. After the clamour for tickets in 2010, a further performance night was added. Leading online review site WhatsonStage.com gave the Festival a glowing review with a four-star rating. Michael Tanner writing in The Spectator said he was "…annoyed with himself – ashamed even – that he hadn't been to Dorset Opera before!" Read more: Otello. | Read more: Tosca.
If you would like to get regular information about our activities please send us your name and address via our contact page.
If you would like to know more about our Patrons scheme, Corporate Support, Sponsorship or simply to become a to become a Friend of Dorset Opera, which offers you a priority ticket booking, please get in touch via our contact page.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. |
