Longhope Opera announces summer programme

Scherzo Ensemble’s Longhope Opera festival is set to return this summer with a production of Donizetti’s comedy, Don Pasquale. The team of over 60 emerging artists and practitioners will be joined by students primary schools in Rushmoor in the orchestra and chorus, who were tutored in opera choruses by Longhope Opera in partnership with Hampshire Music Service.

Longhope Opera is an annual Bel Canto opera festival hosted at the Longhope Estate in East Hampshire. Managed by the charity Scherzo Ensemble, the festival stages productions by emerging professional singers, orchestral musicians and management staff in the opera industry. The organisation aims to help young practitioners gain professional experience and build confidence and foster greater collaboration between theatrical departments.

Scherzo Ensemble founder and Longhope Opera director Matthew O’Keefe said: ‘It’s such a joy to work in a company where we are all at the start of our careers – all peers, all so keen to contribute to a fantastic show whilst developing our craft. There’s a special energy to situations where most people are doing their role at this level for the first time! Many young artists pay out of their own pocket for similar development opportunities elsewhere. I’m proud of the model we have established which adds value for the early-career artists but still pays a fair wage.’

Scherzo Ensemble has assembled a company of professionals for previous productions at Longhope Opera including Rossini’s il Barbiere di Siviglia (2019), Rossini’s il Turco in Italia (2021), Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore (2022) and Rossini’s La Cenerentola (2023).

With funding for the UK’s opera ecosystem a much-contested topic at the moment, O’Keefe said: ‘Projects like the Longhope are vital not only to offer work and professional experience to young performers and creatives, but also to demonstrate a more lean, flexible and home-grown approach, akin to the mid-budget touring rep companies we have lost over the last 50 years.’