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

Forthcoming OSE events

Saturday 3rd October - 'Castaway' - John Rycroft

John Rycroft will be interviewed as a castaway on a desert island.
Tickets - free.
Donation welcomed in hat on the door on the way out.

Early April 2027 - La clemenza di Tito

Opera South East, in partnership with the Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra, will produce La clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus), a famous two-act serious opera (opera seria) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Production dates and venues to be confirmed.
Ticket price incl. booking fee from £0.00 - £26.95 t.b.c.

Join Our Chorus

We will be rehearsing for April 2027's production of Mozart's La clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus)
Rehearsals will be on Sundays from 2.30 - 4.30pm from late 2026 at:

St John's Church Hall,
51 Brittany Road,
St Leonards-on-Sea,
TN38 0RD

Join our chorus

Carmen 2023 rehearsal photos.photos courtesy of Peter Mould

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

Join our Chorus

Recent Operas - 2019 - La Traviata

Awarded 'Highly Commended' by NODA on 19 April 2020

2022 rehearsals for The Mikado are (again) in progress after a second year of delays due to Covid, courtesy of Mark Duncan

A fully-staged opera production of Carmen
21-22 April 2023

Carmen 2023, photos courtesy of Peter Mould

Awards for OSE!

We are thrilled to announce today (19 April 2020) that OSE has today been awarded a Highly Commended accolade by NODA's South East Region (National Operatic and Dramatic Association) in the Best Opera category for 2019 performances for our production of La Traviata. Congratulations to the OSE cast of chorus, principals, the dancers, to Fraser Grant, Kenneth Roberts, to the Sussex Concert Orchestra, to the back-stage crew, and to all who have helped with admin and other support. Principals were Kristy Swift, Julia Bovee, Karen McInally, Harry Kersley, Arthur Coomber, Alexander S-Roberts, Oscar Smith, John Rycroft, David Woloszko, Jack Naismith, and Maya Godlonton-White.
The official NODA presentation is of course delayed due to the pandemic.
Well done all of you!
We also won Best Opera for our 2018 production, Eugene Onegin
and won an Accolade of Musical Excellence for our 2015 Carmen.
Link for more info...

OSE on BBC Radio 4

Monday 4 April 2022 - we got a mention on BBC's The Unbelievable Truth - 2 mins 50 secs in! OK, so it wasn't a 'truth' and was purportedly based in Southend, but fun nonetheless. Did they know we had a production that weekend? Thank you!

Past production - Eugene Onegin - 2018

The Magic Flute 2017

Audience comments from 8 April 2022 - The Mikado

"I've seen the Mikado several times but I think this was the best for characterisation and character."

2016 Macbeth Act 2 Finale after Banquo’s assassination, with ailing Macbeth and embarrassed dinner guests, photos courtesy of Mark Duncan

@OperaSouthEast With thanks to Glyndebourne for tweeting us

Azucena and the Count Di Luna with the chorus of soldiers, Act 3 No.10 Scena and Terzetto, Il Trovatore, April 2015

Video Clip from Il Trovatore Sitzprobe with the SCO

(by kind permission of 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)

Carmen, 2014 - Gemma Morsley (Carmen) and Barnaby Beer (Zuniga)

H.M.S. Pinafore, 2011

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...

Orpheus and Eurydice, 2009

With special thanks to The Sussex Concert Orchestra for your continued support of OSE

Domain & email kindly provided by Laton Technical