About Bampton Classical Opera
Bampton Classical Opera specialises in unearthing little known works of the classical period and performing them in picturesque surroundings.
The opera enjoys a national reputation for its passionate and enlightened discoveries of rare late 18th-century operas sung in lively new translations.
Amongst these have been UK premières of Bertoni Orfeo, Isouard Cendrillon, Marcos Portugal The Marriage of Figaro, Paer Leonora, Benda Romeo and Juliet, Gluck Il Parnaso confuso, Bauci e Philemon and Salieri Falstaff.
The company works with some of the finest emerging young professional singers and stages productions in rural venues in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire and regularly in London at St John’s Smith Square. Other significant venues and festivals have included Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room, Buxton Festival, Cheltenham Festival and Theatre Royal Bath.
Founded in 1993 by its artistic directors, Gilly French and Jeremy Gray, the opera encourages a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. And with ticket prices being excellent value, their performances, including the ‘Bring your own garden chairs’ at St Mary’s Chruch Bampton, provide an ideal introduction to anyone unaccustomed to opera.
The biennial Bampton Classical Opera Young Singers’ Competition, aimed at identifying the country’s finest emerging young singers, was launched in 2013, its 20th birthday year.
