Barbiere di Siviglia - Opera Kipling
In our latest summer production, the city of Seville has become a vibrant, swinging 1960s music hub, full of bold colours, shifting social norms, and youthful independence. Rosina, longs to be a modern young woman enjoying the summer with her boyfriend, Almaviva, but is carefully guarded by her old fashioned and overbearing guardian, Bartolo who desperately clings to control in a rapidly changing world. Almaviva, our local Mod-styled popstar, has won the heart of Rosina through his music and charisma, but will the pair be able to outsmart Bartolo long enough to be together?
Figaro, the local man about town, thrives in this setting: a fast-talking, well-connected fixer—part barber, part stylist, part social hub—he knows everyone and everything and is delighted to help the young lovebirds, but will it be too close a shave?
Whether you’re a devoted opera lover or a newcomer to the genre, join us for a night of music, mischief, and the joy or reinvention. With big hair, sharp suits and sublime singing, Figaro’s barbershop is the place to strut your stuff— and you’re invited to come along and twist!
David & Jonathan, Charpentier - New Sussex Opera
New Sussex Opera presents David and Jonathan, Charpentier’s dark Baroque tragedy in a new English translation by Christopher Cowell. Conducted by Toby Purser and directed by Paul Higgins, the production brings Bellot Ensemble’s period instruments and the New Sussex Opera Chorus to five UK venues in October 2026. Designer Mollie Cheek, lighting designer Daisy Hardwick and choreographer Namiko Gahier-Ogawa shape a world where love and duty collide against the backdrop of war. Dramaturg Benjamin Poore frames the work as an achingly beautiful score, sensuous and dance-like, allowing Charpentier’s expressivity to shine. This English-language staging adopts the title David and Jonathan and aims to reveal a profoundly moving portrait of loyalty and sacrifice building to a tragic climax. A free pre-performance talk at Cadogan Hall features Donald Macleod with the conductor, director and choreographer. The same cast and creative team tour, scaled to each venue.
Recital Jeremiah Stephenson and Massimo Modoni
Accademia dell’Opera Italiana presents “A Journery to Rome” a captivating recital featuring baritone Massimo Modoni and acclaimed organist Jeremiah Stephenson in an exploration of the dramatic contrasts within operatic and oratorio repertoire, featuring the organ as both a liturgical instrument and a powerful orchestral force.
The evening will showcase sacred Romantic Italian masterpieces, including excerpts from Mascagni’s Messa di Gloria, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, alongside Puccini's sacred works. These profound pieces will be juxtaposed with the dark and dramatic arias of the Italian baritone repertoire, including the formidable antagonists of Italian opera: Scarpia (Tosca), Tonio(i Pagliacci), Jago (Otello), and Rigoletto.
This recital delves into the duality of the baritone voice, at once a herald of the sacred and a vessel for the monstrous, while also reimagining the organ’s role beyond the church, as an orchestral alternative capable of unparalleled depth and power.
Pietro Mascagni - Messa di Gloria
Mascagni Messa di Gloria
Tenore solo, Salvatore Cordella
Baritono Solo, Massimo Modoni
Conducts Emanuela Di Pietro
Pianoforte Maestro Cordianó
Recital Jeremiah Stephenson and Massimo Modoni
Accademia dell’Opera Italiana presents “A Journery to Rome” a captivating recital featuring baritone Massimo Modoni and acclaimed organist Jeremiah Stephenson in an exploration of the dramatic contrasts within operatic and oratorio repertoire, featuring the organ as both a liturgical instrument and a powerful orchestral force.
The evening will showcase sacred Romantic Italian masterpieces, including excerpts from Mascagni’s Messa di Gloria, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, alongside Puccini's sacred works. These profound pieces will be juxtaposed with the dark and dramatic arias of the Italian baritone repertoire, including the formidable antagonists of Italian opera: Scarpia (Tosca), Tonio(i Pagliacci), Jago (Otello), and Rigoletto.
This recital delves into the duality of the baritone voice, at once a herald of the sacred and a vessel for the monstrous, while also reimagining the organ’s role beyond the church, as an orchestral alternative capable of unparalleled depth and power.
Mascagni Messa di Gloria
Mascagni Messa di Gloria
Tenore solo, Salvatore Cordella
Baritono Solo, Massimo Modoni
Conducts Emanuela Di Pietro
Pianoforte Maestro Cordianó
La Fête Galante
Pegasus Opera are delighted to present ‘Opera Royale’ a Double-Bill of ‘Fête Galante’ by Dame Ethel Smyth and ‘The Dark Lady of the
Sonnets’ by American composer, Philip Hagemann.
Both pieces involve twilight meetings between aristocratic icons involving mistaken identities and disguise – two thrilling operatic rarities that cannot be missed!
Conducted by Odaline de la Martinez (who conducted the debut recording of Fête Galante).
Fête Galante, composed by Dame Ethel Smyth with a libretto by Dame Smyth and Edward Shanks, follows Maurice
Baring’s 1909 short story. The Dark Lady of the Sonnets, with music and libretto by Philip Hagemann, is based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1910 short story about William Shakespeare stumbling into an accidental meeting with Queen Elizabeth I.
The double bill will be performed at The Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music on the 25th 26th and 27th July.
For over thirty years Pegasus Opera Company has championed artists from global majority heritage. In April 2023, they were awarded National Portfolio Organisation status by the Arts Council and in 2025 they were nominated for the Sky Arts Award for Opera The Stage Community Award.
Massimo Modoni, Pierrot
Massimo Modoni & Brian Hughes Solo recital
Join us for a luminous midday celebration of operatic excellence presented by the Accademia dell’Opera Italiana in partnership with ConwayHall. Baritone and founder Massimo Modoni, together with pianist and co-founder Brian Hughes, return to the stage of Conway Hall with a sweeping programme of Italian operatic masterpieces. From Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, Don Carlo, La Traviata and Otello, to the raw verismo of Puccini, Giordano, Mascagni, and Leoncavallo — this gala traverses the full emotional and stylistic range of the Italian baritone tradition.
✨ Featuring AOI Young Artists:
Two of AOI’s 2025 Young Artists, Daria Moskaliuk (soprano) and Nadiia Chaichenko (mezzo-soprano), will present a selection of Italian and French arias and duets, exploring the intricate musical relationship between soprano and mezzo voices — from tenderness to tension, from rivalry to resolution.
A celebration of American music
Accademia dell'Opera Italiana & Amber Trust: A Celebration of American Music
Conway Hall presents a night where music transcends boundaries, with Accademia dell’Opera and Amber Trust.
Opera, jazz, and Broadway come together in a powerful celebration of music without limits. This charity fundraising concert draws a compelling connection between the impossible loves of Porgy and Bess and West Side Story with the timeless heartbreak of Italian opera—from I Capuleti e i Montecchi to La Traviata, Un Ballo in Maschera, and Andrea Chénier.
Accademia dell’Opera (AOI) founder Massimo Modoni will take the stage alongside Brian Hughes and the rising stars of AOI, performing with Amber Trust artists, whose talent shines brightly in every note. Hughes will also bring the golden age of American music to life with dazzling New York big band classics from the ‘40s and ‘50s, bridging operatic grandeur with the energy of modern performance.
The evening will also feature an unforgettable performance by Derek Paravicini, the celebrated jazz pianist whose remarkable musical abilities and spontaneous improvisations have earned him international acclaim. Paravicini’s performances are a testament to the transformative power of music and its ability to inspire, regardless of circumstance.
Featuring:
Nadiia Chaichenko • mezzo soprano
Brian Hughes • piano
Valerija Iljin • soprano
Massimo Modoni • baritone
Derek Paravicini • piano
Chapman Shum • piano
Programme:
Amazing Grace, Spiritual
Giacomo Puccini | “In quelle trine morbide” from Manon Lescaut
Paolo Tosti | Ideale
Sergei Prokofiev | “No 2. Scene” and “No. 8 Mercutio” from Romeo and Juliet
George Gershwin | “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess
George Gershwin | “The Man I Love” from Lady Be Good
Gian Carlo Menotti | “Lullaby” from The Consul
Leonard Bernstein | “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story
Abram Chasins | Rush Hour in Hong Kong
John Kander | “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret
John Kander | “Life Is A Cabaret!” from Cabaret
INTERVAL
Derek Paravicini | Improvisations and Requests
Giacomo Puccini | “Minnie” from Fanciulla del West
Giuseppe Verdi | “Di Provenza il mar, il suol” from La Traviata
Ethyl Smith | “Pierrot’s aria” from Fete Galante
Umberto Giordano | “Nemico della patria” from Andrea Chénier
Paul Anka | “My Way”
John Kander | “New York, New York”
This event is more than just a concert—it’s a testament to the power of music to break barriers. Amber Trust supports musicians with visual impairments in pursuing their artistic passions, while AOI offers world-class opera training to the most promising talents, regardless of their financial or social backgrounds.
Prepare for an evening of passion, drama, and musical excellence—where tradition meets innovation, and art unites us all.
The Amber Trust is a charity founded in 1995 with the aim to provide blind and partially sighted children, including those with additional disabilities, the best possible chance to meet their musical needs and aspirations. It has grown to become the only national charity dedicated to supporting vision impaired children with their musical development and education. Find out more here.
Arias at Villierstown
Arias at Villierstown - Thursday 29 May - 1pm
Blackwater Valley Opera Festival returns to Villierstown Church – a gem in the heart of West Waterford. Join us for an afternoon of musical performances by Ireland’s emerging talent, featuring a selection of arias, duets, and ensembles.
DATE & TIME: Thursday 29 May at 1pm
VENUE: Villierstown Church, Ballingowan West
ARTISTS:
Iestyn Morris – countertenor | Gemma Ní Bhriain – mezzo-soprano | Jakob Mahase – bass-baritone | Christopher Cull – baritone |Rory Dunne – bass-baritone | Seán Tester – tenor | Massimo Modoni – baritone.
TICKET PRICES: €25 / Limited €10 Concession Tickets. Unallocated seating. (Ticket price excludes €3.50 booking fee per order)
DINING RECITAL PACKAGE: The Saucy Hen Villierstown 2-Course Lunch + Recital Ticket €45 per person. (Ticket price excludes €3.50 booking fee per order)
