From our modest beginnings on the ‘pond,’ Opera Anywhere’s allure expanded, giving rise to the the Sunningwell Festival of Music & Arts, a locally celebrated event renowned for its exceptional performances. Evolving over time, the festival transformed into an annual ten–day extravaganza, anchored on a specially crafted platform in the heart of the village, on the pond!

However, in 2012, a perfect storm of torrential wind and rain, the discovery of water voles in the pond, and the exhaustion of our dedicated volunteer network posed a threat to the ambitious project. It became evident that our pond–centred festivals had likely reached their zenith. Undeterred, we pressed on, taking our unique and lively productions to various venues in Oxfordshire and beyond–from performances on punts along the Oxford rivers to Wolfson College’ sharbour.

Our distinctive approach caught the eye of the esteemed music promoter, Harvey Goldsmith, who commissioned Opera Anywhere as one of the featured acts in the Channel 4 documentary ‘Get YourAct Together.’ This marked a turning point, catapulting us into the limelight with significant TV exposure, including performances on skating rinks in collaboration with Alfie Boe under the title‘ Arias on Ice’ and subsequent appearances on ITV’s ‘This Morning.’

As our repertoire expanded and our touring schedule intensified, we discovered an underutilised gem–the amphitheatre at Waterperry Gardens. Swiftly making it our headquarters, we inaugurated an opera festival with long weekends in July and August between 2014 and 2019. We were the victims of our own success as at the conclusion of our 2019 performance run The Waterperry Gardens business decided to create their own opera festival without Opera Anywhere. Back to the drawing board!

Whilst this was a bitter pill to swallow at the time, it served as our launchpad to cultivate a pool of young professional singers and extend our tours nationwide, performing throughout the year. With over 24 years behind us, we are delighted to unveil our 2024/5 programme, featuring ten exhilarating productions touring across the UK.

Our commitment to evolving and broadening accessibility to opera remains unwavering, and we express our gratitude for your continued presence on this incredible journey with us.