Another brilliant idea is to have a dinner party - organize the guests on one side of the tables, all facing a raised platform/stage, which is what we have done at Leighton House, Kensington, London where the resident caterers worked with us to provide silent, unobtrusive food and service - so the audience enjoyed the wonderful setting of Leighton House, a first class dinner and a splendid private performance of Le Nozze di Figaro at extremely close range.

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"What a brilliant evening! I never heard a sextet sing so clearly. I heard every word."
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We provide the performance with a set and minimal lighting rig, and the copy (information and text) for you to make your own Programme, for a set fee. (Or we can produce it for you). All you need to do is to provide the space, the chairs, the piano (upright is fine, just make sure to have it tuned), electricity for the lights and the audience!

If you would like a full information pack on 'How to host an opera' - for funding raising or just for private entertainment please contact us.

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"First rate voices and acting - a magical evening! Piano accompaniment was so good that I hardly missed an orchestra and the singers so polished and on cue that they didn't need a conductor."
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OUR PRODUCTIONS:

Puccini's La bohème, Rossini's Il barbière di Siviglia, Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte and Le nozze di Figaro, Verdi's La Traviata, Donizetti's Elisir d'Amore (in Italian & English) and Don Pasquale; Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin; Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress and Britten's The Turn of the Screw.

We would be delighted to discuss possibilities for any opera you have in mind and would perform in English if it were preferable.

Flexible is our middle name.

OUR CASTS: Oyster Opera's fabulous casts have been as follows: Don Pasquale Don Pasquale Dottor Malatesta Ernesto Norina Un Notaro Musical Director Director Antoine Salmon Philip Kay James Heath Fiona Oliver-Smith Clive Bebee Richard Black Clive Bebee The Elixir of Love Nemorino Adina Belcore Dulcamara Gianetta Musical Director Director James Heath Fiona Oliver-Smith Philip Kay Antoine Salmon Aurelia Jonvaux Richard Black Clive Bebee La Bohème [view showreel] Mimì Musetta Rodolfo Marcello Schaunard Colline Benoit / Alcindoro Music Director Director Fiona Oliver-Smith Aurelia Jonvaux James Heath Marlon da Silva Maia Philip Kay Orlando Schenk Antoine Salmon Richard Black Clive Bebee Cenerentola Cenerentola Don Ramiro Dandini Don Magnific Clorinda Tisbe Alidoro Music Director Director Hannah Mason Stephen Anthony Brown Peter Grevatt Leon Berger Sarah Estill Justine Davies John Milne Richard Black Clive Bebee La Traviata Violetta Valery Flora Bervoix Annina Alfredo Germont Giorgio Germont Gastone Barone Douphol Marchese d'Obigny / Dottore Grenvil Music Director Director Fiona Oliver-Smith Hannah Mason Aurelia Jonvaux Andrew Friedhoff Marlon da Silva Maia Robert Amon Orlando Schenk Antoine Salmon Richard Black Fraser Grant Cosi fan tutte Fiordiligi Dorabella Guglielmo Ferrando Despina Don Alfonso Music Director Director Janet Fairlie, Fiona Oliver-Smith Fiona Oliver-Smith, Hannah Mason Kevin Sharp, Jeremy Vinogradov Michael Hart-Davis, Angus McAllister Yvonne Patrick, Emma Silversides Deryk Hamon, Orlando Schenk Annette Saunders; Krystian Belliere Fraser Grant Il Barbiere di Siviglia Count Almaviva Doctor Bartolo Don Basilio Figaro Fiorello Rosina Bertha Music Director Director Jonathan Stoughton, Nick Smith, Paul Badley Orlando Schenk Stephen Holloway Jeremy Vinogradov, Christopher Foster, Alex Ashworth Angus McAllister Fiona Oliver-Smith Gudrun Finnbogadottir, Jane Stevenson Kenneth Roberts; Frances Kelleher; Michael Pugh Fraser Grant Le nozze di Figaro Figaro Susanna Count Almaviva Countess Almaviva Cherubino Marcellina Don Basilio / Don Curzio Doctor Bartolo / Antonio Barbarina Musical Director Director Orlando Schenk Emma Silversides Philip Kay Fiona Oliver-Smith Hannah Mason Jane Stevenson James Hodgson Stephen Holloway Riko Tanaka Michael Pugh Fraser Grant L'elisir d'amore Nemorino Adina Belcore Dulcama Gianetta Chorus Musical Director Director Andrew Friedhoff Fiona Oliver-Smith Antonio Perez-Iranzo Orlando Schenk Hannah Mason Hamish Gallie, Riko Tanaka, Kalina Koleva, Craig Steel, Verity Johnson Richard Black Fraser Grant Eugene Onegin (abridged version, sung in Russian with English narration) Tatiana Olga Vladimir Lenski Eugene Onegin Alexander Pushkin Director Conductor Russian coaching Jessica Lindberg Alenka Ponjavic Robert Carlin Toby Sims David Pullan (narrator) Fraser Grant David Gibson. Oyster Chamber Ensemble, arrangement by Lara Taylor Alexandre Naoumenko