ABOUT US
ABOUT US
In 1988, a group of friends sitting around a kitchen table in Wedmore, Somerset came up with the idea of staging La Traviata in the village hall. It was a roaring success, with the creative team discovering so much local talent, and a large number of people wanting to work together to make something wonderful happen in their community.
Since then, every two years or so, hundreds of people living in and around the village have worked alongside professional singers, musicians and designers to create a new opera production. Among our favourites are Aida, Dido & Aeneas and La Bohème. We have also commissioned two new works, Jago composed by Kate and Mike Westbrook in 2000, and Eleanor Vale by John Barber in 2012.
The Wedmore area is home to many creative and enterprising people, from singers and set designers, to make-up artists and sound engineers. Whatever your interest or skill, you will find a warm welcome at Wedmore Opera.
We know that opera can be a life-changing experience for people of every age, background and circumstance. We pride ourselves on working with young local singers and players as they learn more about the world of opera and open doors they never knew existed. Every production includes professional soloists, musicians and designers who help to make our productions special.
Wedmore Opera is a charity (Charity No: 1061757) and a company limited by guarantee (Company No: 03290330). This means that any profit we make goes into the next production. Our income comes from a mixture of selling tickets, programmes and refreshments, fundraising events, donations and the occasional grant.
If you'd like to learn more about our past productions, click on the online archive and gallery below to see photos, programmes and newspaper clippings.