Operas
Acis, Galatea and Polyphemus, G.F. Handel
A pastoral world, luminous melodies, voices weaving sweetness and tension, classical costumes setting the scene—what’s not to love?
Händel was so captivated by this ancient Greek tale that he returned to it four times. Our performance gathers the finest moments from each version, creating a vivid pastiche that brings out the story’s heart, humour, and shadows.
At its core, this is a Beauty and the Beast story—except here the beast is truly formidable, and the ending far from simple. Expect charm, danger, tenderness, and a touch of the uncanny, all carried by some of Händel’s most inspired music.
Don Pasquale, G. Donizetti
Don Pasquale is determined that his nephew and heir, Ernesto, should marry the bride he has chosen. But Ernesto refuses—he’s hopelessly in love with Norina. Outraged, Pasquale decides that if his nephew won’t provide an heir, he’ll take a wife himself, despite his age. He turns to his trusted doctor, Malatesta, for help… unaware that Malatesta is secretly plotting with Ernesto and Norina to teach the old bachelor a lesson he won’t forget.
Donizetti’s score sparkles like champagne, propelling this brilliant comedy of disguises, deceptions, and delicious comeuppance.
Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi, G. Puccini
Suor Angelica – this tragic opera exposes the harsh discipline of a seventeenth-century convent and society’s self-righteous hypocrisy that underpins Angelica’s fate. A young princess, she has borne a child she was forbidden even to see, and is banished to the convent to “repent.” After seven years of quiet obedience, her routine is shattered by a visit from her aunt—whose cold revelation delivers the final, devastating blow.
Yet Puccini’s music allows light to break through the darkness. The sorrow of the story is pierced by the luminous spirit of Angelica herself, whose warmth and radiance make the tragedy all the more poignant.
Gianni Schicchi – a grasping family gathers around the deathbed of their wealthy patriarch—only to discover he has left everything to the local monastery. Outraged and desperate, they reluctantly turn to the wily peasant Gianni Schicchi, whose resourcefulness may be their only chance to reclaim the fortune. Schicchi agrees to help… but he has a plan of his own.
Puccini’s sharpest comedy unfolds in a whirlwind of scheming relatives, quick disguises, and irresistible music, proving that in Florence, cunning can outdo greed every time.
Concerts
Mendelssohn – incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Experience the magic of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a semi-staged concert that brings Shakespeare’s fairy world to life. Our orchestra performs the music while a children’s chorus presents a playful masque of the drama’s elemental forces against an evocative scenic backdrop. Sparkling overtures, lyrical interludes, and the famous Wedding March blend into an hour of wonder, imagination, and musical enchantment. For all ages, including young families.