The Longborough Festival Opera is set to once again bring classical opera to the Cotswolds this summer.

Since their first year of productions nearly thirty years ago, the company has grown year on year, as Marketing and Press Manager Fenner Curtis explains.

He said: “Martin and Lizzie Graham started promoting opera at their home in 1991 to a handful of people – the opera house started off as a chicken shed.

“Over the years it has been expanded and enhanced – with the addition of some second-hand seats from the Royal Opera House – and in 2013 Martin and Lizzie put on a full-length production of Wagner’s ‘Ring’ cycle. That was a real landmark for the company and established the festival as a destination for Wagnerians across the UK and abroad.

“Martin and Lizzie are still very much involved in the day-to-day running of the festival; and it remains a family affair with Martin and Lizzie's daughter, the acclaimed opera director Polly Graham, recently appointed as Artistic Director.”

The company is based in the village of Longborough, just outside Stow-on-the-Wold.

Every year they host a season of opera that runs from June to August, consisting of four productions created especially for the festival.

“The festival has a reputation for showcasing upcoming singers, particularly in the works of Richard Wagner,” said Fenner.

“Our 2019 season begins with our much-anticipated new production of Wagner’s ‘Das Rheingold’ and we’re very excited as it marks the start of our new ‘Ring’ cycle at Longborough, which we’ll perform over the next five years – culminating in the full cycle in 2023.”

The company also prides itself on providing opportunities for children and young people to get involved in the arts, something Fenner says is very important to all involved.

“There is so much within the art form for a young imagination to latch onto – movement, drama, set design, lighting, orchestral, singing, language, storytelling, costume, history... the list goes on. We want to pass our passion for opera on to the next generation.

“As music becomes marginalised in curricula across the country, we feel it is our duty to accommodate young people’s needs as best we can. Four years ago, 100 children participated in just two workshops.

“This season we are opening our entire programme to schools: 600 seats at dress rehearsals will be filled by schoolchildren; 1,000 reached through workshops, school visits and lectures. New for this year is a Youth Chorus and Summer School, which will provide further opportunities for local children to participate.”

Longborough's 2019 season runs from Wednesday 5th June to Saturday 3rd August, starting with ‘Das Rheingold’.

“Although Longborough is often grouped with the ‘country house opera’ scene, we like to think it’s something rather different and special,” added Fenner. “It’s a very informal affair, there’s no dress code.

“Many of our audience started coming as guests of friends, and now bring friends of their own – there’s a real feeling of a Longborough family here. Some have even been coming since the beginning.

“We often find that once someone comes to Longborough, it can quickly become a regular fixture in their summer calendar.”

For tickets and more information visit www.lfo.org.uk.