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If Opera has returned to Belcombe Court in Wiltshire, opening with the highly anticipated new production of Umberto Giordano's Fedora, directed by John Wilkie (founding member of Opera Bohemia) and starring multi-award-winning Australian soprano Sky Ingram in the title role, reason enough to purchase a ticket. Belcombe's photogenic 18th century garden, where If Opera's temporary auditorium is erected annually, makes this one of the most magical opera festivals in England and as if in agreement, the sun appeared just as the gates opened on the first night, allowing opera-goers to enjoy a picnic ahead of the performance. There have been some welcome changes at If Opera this year, including a new Saddle span theatre with improved ventilation and acoustics, along with a more prominent orchestra arrangement to ensure audiences have a fantastic view of the resident Bristol Ensemble conducted by company stalwart Oliver Gooch. With a grand piano on stage, audiences were also tre ....
If you're looking to step into a musical wonderland this summer, If Opera festival, set in the enchanting eighteenth century garden of the privately owned Belcombe Court in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, is akin to tumbling down the rabbit hole. An unmissable way to crown an English summer of outdoor events, this year's If Opera season, in partnership with the Bristol Ensemble, features an improved Saddle span theatre with wider seats and better acoustic and ventilation, with opera audiences invited to bring their own picnic to enjoy in the grounds before each performance and take advantage of the pop-up bar, Scout & Sage. Umberto Giordano's rarely performed Fedora (24, 26 August & 1 September) opens the season, directed by John Wilkie with If Opera's Artistic Director Oliver Gooch conducting the Bristol Ensemble. A tale of love, murder and betrayal in three acts, the action takes place in Russia, France and Switzerland, when Princess Fedora, seeking revenge o ....