OSE - home

Welcome to Opera South East

Opera South East is based in Hastings and is one of the few companies in the South East to regularly perform opera with full chorus and orchestra.

We attract established singers and musicians as well as young professional performers at the start of their career. At its heart is a chorus of enthusiastic and friendly amateur singers under professional music and artistic direction.

We welcome new members of all ages interested in any aspect of opera performance, be that on or off stage.

Join our chorus

What's on is Hastings...
Forthcoming OSE events

G & S EXTRAVAGANZA

Saturday 21st September 2019 at 7.30pm
at The Emmanuel Centre, Harrier Lane, Battle, TN33 0FL
Ticket price £10

Double Bill 23-24 November 2019

Amahl and the Night Visitors

Gian Carlo Menotti

double-billed with
Ananse and the Golden Box of Stories

Composed by Kenneth Roberts
(First European performance)

Directed by Jenny Miller

Saturday 23rd November 2019 at 6pm
at St Thomas the Martyr, Winchelsea
Sunday 24th November 2019 at 3.30pm
at St Barnabus Church, Sea Road, Bexhill

Ticket price for both venues £10

- oops just finished!

Our fully-staged 2019 opera production: -

La Traviata on 12th and 13th April 2019
by Giuseppe Verdi, directed by Fraser Grant, performed at Hastings White Rock Theatre, with the Sussex Concert Orchestra conducted by Kenneth Roberts

Aching to belong yet desperate to be free, Violetta finds herself trapped in a dying body just as a youthful and ardent lover gives her very existence new meaning.

As her life fades away, memories of the recent past swirl before her.
Set against the backdrop of a Paris about to be changed for ever, this production of the most beloved of all operas promises to be both poignant and exciting.

La Traviata is an opera in three acts is based on the novel, La Dame aux Camelias by Alexandre Dumas fils. The opera was originally entitled Violetta, after the main character. It was first performed on 6 March 1853 at the La Fenice opera house in Venice. Featuring the famous drinking song, a brindisi, Libiamo ne’lieti calici. This now timeless opera will thrill audiences.

For more information on the production please see the La Traviata page with photos and details of the principals, the chorus, orchestra and company, a synopsis of the plot and directors notes

Other events will be published in due course so check back, or join our mailing list (below or on the mailing list page). Past events can be found here, a history of past productions are here, and we've also been performing at several private events, and have provided choirs for weddings. New members of the choir are most welcome, as are volunteers behind the scenes

La Traviata, 2019

Our last opera: Eugene Onegin - 2018

Eugene Onegin 2018

Join our mailing list

If you would like to be advised of our next production dates by email then please add (or remove) yourself from our performance mailing list by entering your email address here:

Eugene Onegin 2018

Join our OSE Chorus as a new singing Member

Calling all New Chorus - Consider joining our Chorus line for rehearsals for our next concert or opera production - see Join our chorus and apply

Welcome to Opera South East. We will be looking for new Chorus members to join us for our next concerts and operas. Whatever your singing voice, please consider joining us for rehearsals, generally held on Sunday afternoons.

We have a new page to describe this in more detail, so please see Join our Chorus... for further information and a contact form.

Join our Chorus

Audience Comments from Macbeth (April 2016)

.I came on the Saturday...was excellent... very powerful singing, and visually.... the fertility and child slaughtering themes really came across, and I liked the Gaelic language... postures also very powerful....the child actors did brilliantly keeping still too.
___

You were marvellous. I thoroughly enjoyed the opera, the entire cast was awesome. A lot of bottom slapping, which was quite funny.
___

The company have gone from strength to strength with [the Director's] input; [he has] them finely tuned and focused, the chorus really shone, in fact I think it's the best I've ever seen/heard them so bravo indeed!!
Needless to say principals were brilliant and particularly Lady Macbeth who was glorious to listen to.
We loved your artistic approach to the show and you always get your audience thinking Fraser - love that about your work. I can't understand why more people did not come and see it... They missed a fantastic show.
____

...a superb operatic experience, beautifully sung, costumed and staged...
____

...a missed opportunity for many who might have shared in this fantastic experience...

Audience Reviews from previous operas

"Thank you for a memorable evening. The orchestra and production were outstanding, the staging and costumes were very well thought out, and so interesting to see elements of Kabuki on stage, wonderful principals..."

"First class performance by all the cast left us tingling with emotion." (Audience member - Madame Butterfly)

"one of the most engaging and satisfying performances of La Cenerentola that I have ever seen..." (Words and Music)

"a company that has espirt de corps and can deliver first class opera" (Hastings Observer - Don Giovanni)

"a resounding sucess... tumultuous applause, standing ovations" (Schwerte Zeitung - Macbeth)

"I've laughed so much I need to go home to change my pants." (Audience member now preferring to remain anonymous - Orpheus in the Underworld)

La Traviata, 2019

NODA Awards

So we've just won another award! This time NODA's Best Opera 2018

Chairman of Opera South East, John Rycroft, was both delighted and surprised on Sunday 31 March 2019 to receive a NODA (National Operatic and Dramatic Association) Award from South East District Representative, Anne Lawson, at their regular rehearsal last Sunday. Receiving the award for Best Opera 2018 for their production of Tchaikowsky's Eugene Onegin, John Rycroft said that this showed just how much commitment was shown by members of Opera South East and their guest principals in seeking to bring opera of a high quality to audiences in Hastings. “I'm thrilled that this award shows the quality of the performances that we are producing is recognised, and to the dedication to this craft by members of the Company.”

Opera South East's next production will be Verdi's La Traviata, being performed at the White Rock Theatre, Hastings on Friday/Saturday 12th/13thApril, 2019.

Recent Operas

Eugene Onegin 2018

The Magic Flute 2017

Macbeth - 2016

On Fri 22nd & Sat 23rd April 2016 OSE presented Verdi's Macbeth at the White Rock Theatre, Hastings on the 400anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. More info here...

Macbeth Act II Finale ‘Something wicked this way comes’
with Peter Grevatt (Macbeth) and Mari Wyn Williams (Lady Macbeth) as the murderous couple, pictures courtesy of Mark Duncan

Our recent Baroque Experience event

Macbeth Act 2 Finale after Banquo’s assassination, with ailing Macbeth and embarrassed dinner guests, photos courtesy of Mark Duncan

La Traviata, 2019

Recent events

See this link for a full list of recent events

Recent opera news

Opera South East most recently produced Verdi's 'Il Trovatore' (April 2015) at the White Rock Theatre, Hastings. Photos are on the past production page...
Thank you to Glyndebourne, who were kind enough to tweet about us!

Glyndebourne just tweeted @OperaSouthEast :)

NODA Accolade for OSE

On Sunday, 5th July 2015, John Rycroft, Chairman of Opera South East, attended the South East Region NODA (National Operatic & Dramatic Association) AGM, held in the Wessex Arts Centre, Alton College in Hampshire, where he received on behalf of OSE an Accolade of Excellence 2014 for Musical Excellence in OSE's production of Carmen. Each NODA Regional Representative was asked to make the presentation of the awards to the winners in their region in 2015 (by when we had performed our next opera, Il Trovatore), and in doing so Anne Lawson of NODA said "Opera South East are an amazing Company. Just when you think they can't do any better, they crown it with another outstanding performance. They fully deserve this award!"

Video Clip from Il Trovatore Sitzprobe with the SCO
(by kind permission on members of the Sussex Concert Orchestra)

Mari Wyn Williams singing from Act IV of Il Trovatore with the Sussex Concert Orchestra - Monday 20th April. Recorded on an iPhone without a proper mic but OK actually! If the video picture is not buffering well then we suggest you download the video and play it locally for best results - free to download for non-commercial purposes (copyright OSE 2015)

Rent a Choir !

If you have a wedding or other event for which you'd like to hire a choir of say 15 then consider Opera South East. A regular event would typically cost £500, plus £100 for an organist. Contact our Chairman...