Operanova

  

Opera Nova based in the Tees Valley in the North East of England performs opera music at a variety of venues throughout the region.

Our production for 2026 has been Mozart’s sparkling comedy The Marriage of Figaro (sung in English), performed at The Majestic Theatre Darlington on Fri 19 and Sat 20 July. This production was guided by our artistic director Richard Bloodworth, conductor Benjamin Noble, and accompanist Lauren Gilbert.

 

Past performances

Opera Day at Chilton Academy, Durham
Opera Day at Lingfield Education Trust, Darlington
Thanks to generous funding from Point North, Opera Nova continued the Outreach project, started in 2024. Through Opera Days at Chilton Academy, Durham and for the Lingfield Education Trust, Darlington, children and young people have been introduced to opera and the pleasures and benefits of singing and acting with all age groups have been shared. We have also given short performances in a wider range of venues, such as Darlington Library. If you are interested in hosting an Outreach event, please contact us (contact details below).

The Merry Widow by Franz Léhar

Opera Day at Woodham Burn Community Primary School
Members of Opera Nova worked with Year 5 pupils, aided by music students from Woodham Academy. All learnt to sing and act short scenes from the light-hearted operetta, The Merry Widow. The workshops followed by a performance with both Woodham Burn and Woodham Academy pupils performing alongside Opera Nova.

 

The concert series ‘Partytime!’ was presented by Opera Nova in Winter/Spring 2024 – a selection of fun choruses and ensembles from opera and operetta, including songs from The Merry Widow which we were preparing to present as our semi-staged production for 2024.

 

For the spring to autumn 2023 season, Opera Nova presented a programme of Verdi opera with semi­-staged extracts from La Traviata, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, Aida, Falstaff and Otello, with Artistic Director Penny Randall-Davis, Musical Director Marco Romano and accompanist Lauren Gilbert.

audio file: opera-nova-excerpt-from-la-traviata-act-2-finale
 

photo by Alan Clements: Verdi: Love and Loss 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

photo gallery: schools performance of Trial by Jury in Middlesbrough Town Hall Courtroom

photo by Alan Clements: Trial by Jury 2019

About Opera Nova