Dido & Aeneas directed by GUY WITHERS
Acis & Galatea directed by REBECCA MELTZER
Music directed by MICHAEL PAPADOPOULOS
Designed by JEN GREGORY

Dido | BERNADETTE JOHNS
Aeneas | JEROME KNOX
Belinda | ANND CAVALIERO
Sorcerer | KIERAN RAYNER
1st Witch | ELEANOR SANDERSON-NASH
2nd Witch | SHAKIRA TSINDOS
Sailor | THANDO MJANDANA
Spirit | MICHAEL BELLA

The festival's 1st double-bill makes its home in Waterperry’s stunning Amphitheatre.

Acis and Galatea. The ethereal nymph, Galatea, is in love with a youthful shepherd, Acis. All seems serene, until their love is threatened by the jealousy of the monstrous Polyphemus. Directed by Rebecca Meltzer (Svadba, Hansel and Gretel, Ariel, Mansfield Park) this new production celebrates the beauty of Handel’s music coupled with Waterperry’s natural spaces.

Dido and Aeneas. Tribal Queen Dido struggles to keep power in her court as Prince Aeneas comes to ask for her hand in marriage and an alliance between factions. Treachery and sedition threaten to tear a nation and a marriage asunder. Directed by Guy Withers (Peter and the Wolf, The Diary of One Who Disappeared), this beloved English operatic gem takes a dark turn in a bold new production.

Michael Papadopoulos conducts these two contrasting productions alongside Designer Jennifer Gregory. Both operas will be performed by the same ensemble cast consisting of the UK’s most outstanding emerging operatic talent, audiences will most definitely be entertained.

Wednesday August 16th at 6:30pm
Friday 18th August at 6:30pm
Sunday 20th August at 6.30pm
Amphitheatre, Waterperry Opera Festival, Waterperry House, Waterperry, Oxford, OX33 1LA

For more information and to buy tickets visit https://www.waterperryoperafestival.co.uk/