Violetta in La traviata | English National Opera
Love costs everything
A timeless story of love, society’s demands and impossible choices.
Peter Konwitschny’s Olivier Award nominated production of Verdi’s La traviata strips the story back to its core capturing the raw intensity of all-consuming love and tragedy.
Celebrated worldwide, and still influencing popular culture today, this operatic masterpiece remains one of the most performed operas across the world.
Creatives
Conductor - Kevin John Edusei
Director - Peter Konwitschny
Revival Director - PJ Harris
Designer - Johannes Leiacker
Lighting Designer - Joachim Klein
Revival Lighting Designer - Marc Rosette
Cast
Violetta - Heidi Stober (exc. 3rd & 5th March)
Violetta - Alison Langer (3rd & 5th March)
Alfredo - Egor Zhuravskii
Giorgio Germont - David Stout
Annina -Carolyn Dobbin
Gastone - Osian Wyn Bowen
Barone Douphol - Darwin Prakash
Flora Bervoix - Bethany Horak-Hallett
Marchese d'Obigny -Michael Lafferty
Dottore Grenvil - Trevor Eliot Bowes
Messenger - Paul Sheehan
Joseph - Adam Sullivan
Soloist in Last Night at the Opera | Waterperry Opera Festival
Bring the 2026 Waterperry Opera Festival to a stunning close with Last Night at the Opera - an unforgettable evening of opera’s greatest hits, featuring four sensational soloists, our festival orchestra, and conductor Bertie Baigent on the mainstage.
Cast
Conductor - Bertie Baigent
Soprano Soloist - Alison Langer
Mezzo Soloist - Annie Reilly
Tenor Soloist - Guy Elliott
Baritone Soloist - Matthew Palmer
Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus | Opera Holland Park
Sparring frenemies and working-class wannabes return to Opera Holland Park in a sparkling new production. Will Doctor Falke get his revenge on Gabriel von Eisenstein for the embarrassing incident with the bat costume? Can Frank convince Count Orlofsky and his guests that he is a Frenchman born and bred? And why does that actress look so very much like Rosalinde’s maid?
Excess is the order of the day as three of the company’s favourite leading ladies, sopranos Alison Langer (La traviata 2021 and 2025, Pagliacci 2024, Carmen 2022) and Rebecca Bottone (Itch 2023 and 2025), and mezzo-soprano Clare Presland (Il segreto di Susanna 2019 and 2024, The Bear 2021), don various disguises and assumed names to join tenor Thomas Atkins (Eugene Onegin 2022) in a Viennese whirl of a plot of romantic intrigues and costume balls. Rising star George Jackson (Così fan tutte 2018) returns to conduct a score that fizzes with dances and drinking songs from across the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Creatives
Conductor - George Jackson
Director & Choreographer - Liam Steel
Lighting Designer - Jake Wiltshire
Set Designer - Neil Irish
Costume Designer - Laura Jane Stanfield
Chorus Master - Dominic Ellis-Peckham
Cast
Gabriel Eisenstein - Thomas Atkins
Rosalinde - Alison Langer
Adele - Rebecca Bottone
Orlofsky - Clare Presland
Dr Falke - Julien Van Mellaerts
Dr Blind - Monwabisi Lindi
Alfred - Xavier Hetherington
Frank - Matthew Siveter
Ida - Olivia Carrell
Frosch - Robert Burt
Ivan - Alistair Sutherland
Dancer - Harry Wilson
Violetta in La Traviata | Opera Holland Park
Heavily censored at its 1853 premiere, Verdi’s impassioned portrait of a celebrated courtesan in the last months of her life remains one of the most powerful stories of nineteenth century Paris, decadence, disease and selfless love.
In startling contrast to the ghostly atmospherics of Lucia di Lammermoor, Verdi’s 1853 portrait of a celebrated courtesan in love with a callow youth from a provincial bourgeois family is as unflinching in its examination of the decadence of the Parisian demimonde as a novel by Zola. As Violetta Valéry navigates the last months of her life, she must choose between hedonism and self-sacrifice, escaping then returning to the city that made her and will eventually destroy her. Sumptuously designed by Cordelia Chisholm, with reference to the scandalous paintings of Gustave Courbet and John Singer Sargent, and described as “world class” in The Stage and “dazzling” in The Guardian, Rodula Gaitanou’s exceptional 2018 production of La traviata returns to Holland Park with an outstanding cast.
Creative
Conductor - Matthew Kofi Waldren
Director - Rodula Gaitanou
Designer - Cordelia Chisholm
Choreographer - Steve Elias
Chorus Master - Richard Harker
Lighting Designer - Simon Corder
Associate Conductor (conducting on 27 July) - Aleksandra Melaniuk
Assistant Choreographer - Sophia Priolo
Cast
Violetta - Alison Langer
Alfredo - Matteo Desole
Giorgio Germont - Michel de Souza
Annina - Ellie Edmonds
Gastone - Zwakele Tshabalala
Barone Douphol - Nicholas Garrett
Flora Bervoix - Laura Woods
Marchese d'Obigny - Chuma Sijeqa
Dottore Grenvil - Henry Grant Kerswell
Fraquita in Carmen | Royal Ballet and Opera
Damiano Michieletto’s searing production returns, casting a new light on the lust, violence and passion of Bizet’s ever-popular opera.
Following its premiere in the 2023/24 Season, Damiano Michieletto’s 'simmering, naturalistic’ (Guardian) staging returns to the Main Stage. Mark Elder, Christopher Willis and Ariane Matiakh conduct two casts headlined by Olivier Award-nominated Aigul Akhmetshina and Anna Goryachova as the impassioned Carmen and Freddie De Tommaso and Charles Castronovo as her jealous lover Don José.
Creatives
Director - Damiano Michieletto
Set designer - Paolo Fantin
Costume designer - Carla Teti
Lighting designer - Alessandro Carletti
Dramaturg - Elisa Zaninotto
Cast
Carmen - Anna Goryachova
Don José - Charles Castronovo
Micaëla - Selene Zanetti
Escamillo - Christian Van Horn
Zuniga - Jamie Woollard
Frasquita - Alison Langer
Mercédès - Veena Akama-Makia
Dancaïro - Siphe Kwani
Remendado - Ryan Vaughan Davies
Moralès - Grisha Martirosyan
Bohemian - Dawid Kimberg
Marchande d'oranges - Louise Armit
Soprano soloist in Elijah | Opus 48
Join Opus 48 for Mendelssohn’s dramatic oratorio Elijah. Joined by some of the country’s best up and coming soloists and the historically-informed players of the Musical and Amicable Society, this performance will awaken you to every detail of this incredible score.
Opus 48 shows off its incredible versatility as the choir takes many roles throughout the piece while the story unfolds. Mendelssohn’s musical and dramatic choices suggest the stuff of opera – shouting crowds, a vengeful Queen, and a flaming chariot – yet Elijah is grounded in a profoundly spiritual, devotional ethos. The work as a whole, through its choruses and words, professes timeless spiritual values, stressing the worth of endurance and perseverance, and the importance of hope amid despair.
If you enjoy Handel oratorios, then you will recognise his influences in Mendelssohn’s epic, Biblical drama – together with Bach-inspired worshipful reflective moments. Elijah was a ‘grand and mighty prophet … borne on the wings of angels’, brought thrillingly alive in this piece. It is truly a masterpiece that deserves its place as one of the monumental compositions of the 19th century.
Whether you’re a longtime fan of choral music or just looking for a gripping evening out, this concert promises to be a real highlight. Get your tickets now and immerse yourself in this extraordinary music!
Opus 48 – named in honour of Fauré’s Requiem – is an exciting medium-sized choral society in Oxfordshire, performing an impressive range of repertoire to the very highest standard. Opus 48 rehearse and perform under the baton of Musical Director, David Crown, one of the leading choral conductors in the UK. To read more about Opus 48 and their upcoming season, please visit their website.
Creatives
Musical Director - David Crown
Cast
Soprano - Alison Langer
Mezzo Soprano - Emma Roberts
Tenor - Osian Wyn Bowen
Baritone - Ross Ramgobin
Pamina in The magic Flute | Charles Court Opera
Charles Court Opera makes a welcome return to Wilton’s with their gloriously magical take on Mozart’s popular comic masterpiece, The Magic Flute, after their triumphant success with The Barber of Seville (★★★★ The Times).
Set in the heart of the mysterious jungle, join intrepid explorer Tamino as he embarks on a journey filled with fantastical, magical creatures, where nothing is as it seems. Sung in a refreshing translation by John Savournin (book) and David Eaton (lyrics), this utterly beautiful production, filled with enchanting puppetry, magic and witty surprises, promises to be an absolute treat for opera lovers and new comers of all ages.
Featuring some of CCO’s finest singers, with sumptuous designs by Simon Bejer, this is one you absolutely do not want to miss.
CREATIVES
Original Director John Savournin
Revival Director James Hurley
Musical Director David Eaton
Choreographer Merry Holden
Original Designer Simon Bejer
Revival Designer Lucy Fowler
Lighting Designer Ben Pickersgill
CAST
Papageno Matthew Kellett
Pamina Alison Langer
1st Lady & Papagena Sarah Prestwidge
2nd Lady Martha Jones
3rd Lady Meriel Cunningham
Queen of the Night Eleri Gwilym
Sarastro & Speaker Peter Lidbetter
Tamino Martins Smaukstelis
Monostatos Joe Ashmore
Gilda in Rigoletto | Opera Holland Park
A propulsive tragedy of toxic masculinity and unfettered power
Verdi’s propulsive tragedy of toxic masculinity and unfettered power unfolds at breakneck speed, as Rigoletto, the jester, attempts to shield his daughter, Gilda, from the court of Mantua and a Duke whose greed for pleasure knows no bounds. Cloistered from the city, Gilda falls in love with a young student, unaware that he is the Duke in disguise. A brilliant score contrasts carefree songs of seduction (‘La donna è mobile’) with a gathering storm of natural and human malevolence.
Creative Team
Lee Reynolds - Conductor
Cecilia Stinton - Director
Neil Irish - Designer
Jake Wiltshire - Lighting Designer
Caitlin Fretwell Walsh - Movement Director
Dominic Ellis-Peckham - Chorus Master
Cast
Stephen Gadd - Rigoletto
Alison Langer - Gilda
Alessandro Scotto di Luzio - Duke of Mantua
Elgan Llŷr Thomas - Duke of Mantua (7 and 9 June)
Simon Wilding - Sparafucile
Hannah Pedley - Maddalena
Georgia Mae Bishop - Giovanna
Benson Wilson - Count Ceprano
Joanna Harries - Countess Ceprano
Mike Bradley - Borsa
Matthew Stiff - Monterone
Jacob Phillips - Marullo
Samuel Snowden - Court Usher
Annie George - Page