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