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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.

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What's on for us in East Sussex - Hastings, Battle, Winchelsea and Bexhill...
Forthcoming OSE events

2024 plans

Opera South East's proudly presents our next fully-staged production: -
Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore

Friday 26th April and
Saturday 27th April 2024

This production, as for all fully-staged OSE productions, will be sung in English.
Director: Eleanor Strutt
Musical Director / Conductor: Marcio da Silva
and with the Sussex Concert Orchestra.

Tickets from the White Rock Theatre at: £25, £17, £13

White Rock Friends: £3 off
Groups 8+: £3 off (call WRT on 0343 310 0031 to buy fee-free)
Ask for one free under 16-year-old ticket with every adult ticket brought

OR get tickets with our Benefactors package - two tickets for £60 with wine reception direct from OSE.

The White Rock Theatre Box Office is not yet open - watch this space!

Carmen 2023 rehearsal photos.photos courtesy of Peter Mould

Announcement: Kenneth Roberts

Our inspiration for all these years has finally decided to retire from fully-staged opera productions this year!
Read his letter to members here:

Dear members, friends and supporters of Opera South East,

After much soul-searching and consideration, I have made the decision to stand down as conductor/musical director of Opera South East as of autumn next year. In October 2023 I shall reach the venerable ‘three score years and ten’ and I have come to the conclusion that what the company needs is a younger and more energetic musical director to lead the company in the years to come.

This is a big decision for me but I know it is the right one. I was in at the start of the company when it was christened ‘Hastings Opera’ and, for well over half my life, it has proved a huge part of it. In fact many friends and acquaintances have often referred to it as ‘My baby.’ Well, not only has the baby grown up, it is well into child-bearing age itself and as a doting grandparent, I feel I need to step back so that new life can be breathed into it.

I intend to conduct ‘Carmen’ in April next year and it seems a particularly appropriate piece for my ‘swan-song’ as it was the first full-scale opera I conducted at the White Rock in 1983 – 40 years ago!

If there are any of you out there who have performed with Opera South East in the past but have drifted away, I should love you return, if only for this last blast of mine to celebrate with me and see out my tenure.

Thank you to all of you who have supported both the company and myself over the years. There have been many highs and lows for me with the company but, on the whole, I’ve had a ball

Announcement: Marcio da Silva

PRESS RELEASE - September 2023

Opera South East is delighted to announce that with immediate effect Marcio da Silva has been appointed Musical Director/Conductor of the Company, taking over the baton from Ken Roberts, who announced his intention to relinquish this responsibility after almost fifty years at the helm.

Chairman, John Rycroft, says, “The Company owes so much to Ken who, with a few close friends and colleagues, set in motion the beginnings of what today is recognised as a major player in the operatic world. Ken's single-minded drive to achieve this is a tribute to his overall skill and ability. To know we shall be in very capable hands of Marcio da Silva is a real bonus. Over the last decade he has made a mark on the musical life in Hastings and the surrounding area and has built up an enviable reputation.

Following Ken Roberts's decision last autumn to 'pass' on the baton of Opera South East, and with a stunning performance of Bizet's Carmen in April at the White Rock Theatre, Hastings, the Company is pleased to announce that Marcio da Silva will be taking over the podium next April with a performance of Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore, with artistic direction provided by Eleanor Strutt. As in previous years musical accompaniment will be provided by members of the Sussex Concert Orchestra. Performance dates at the White Rock Theatre, Hastings are Friday/Saturday 26th/27th April 2024.

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."

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

Carmen 2023, photos courtesy of Peter Mould

Our last fully-staged opera production was Carmen
21-22 April 2023

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 have a production this weekend?

Past production - Eugene Onegin - 2018

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

The Magic Flute 2017

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

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