Opera Worcester have recently been awarded charity status by the UK Charity Commission.

The society aims to promote performance in operatic works, attract and give opportunities to both new and established performers and educate and stimulate appreciation of the opera genre.

Since changing its name in 2017, Opera Worcester has broadened its repertoire to include grand opera. It now also offers workshops and pre-performance talks and has invited both professional and aspiring young singers to work alongside semi-professional and talented amateur performers in its productions.

A spokesperson for Opera Worcester commented:

“It seemed a natural next step after the developments of the last couple of years.

We are currently offering extremely ambitious repertoire which provides unique challenges for all concerned.  We want to encourage everyone to develop their skills and talents whether it be onstage or behind the scenes. To this end we are also taking every opportunity to call upon professionals to work with us, advise us and on occasions sing with us.

Staging opera is extremely costly. Now that we are a charity, we can actively raise the money needed to realise our ambitions to educate and provide opportunity through high quality productions and concerts.”

Opera Worcester are not planning a full-scale production in 2020 but instead will offer a programme of workshops, concerts and a special gala event.

The spokesperson continued:

“2020 will be a year of consolidation, fundraising and planning in readiness for our next production in 2021”.

Pictured : Young tenor Andrew Irwin (who recently made his debut with Welsh National opera)  as Tamino in Opera Worcester’s 2017 production of The Magic Flute