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| The 17th century stables at Nevill Holt which now house the theatre |
Following a sharp pivot after the abbreviated 2023 opera season, the Nevill Holt Festival was inaugurated this year under the direction of James Dacre. Dacre brought an impressive offering together in a relatively short time including opera, classical music, jazz and contemporary music, alongside visual arts, talks and literature, including Melly Still’s new production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, with Finnegan Downie Dear conducting Britten Sinfonia, Shadwell Opera premiering The Devil’s Den by British-Canadian composer Isabella Gellis; Shadwell Opera’s first full-length commission [see my interview].
The results have been impressive, 12,000 people attend more than 60 events during the 2024 festival, 75% of them for the first time and the festival will return in 2025 from 30 May – 22 June.
2025 will also see the inauguration of a new five-year partnership between the festival and Opera North, beginning with a new co-production of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte which will run in the theatre at Nevill Holt from 6-8 and 10-12 June. The partnership with Opera North will continue in future editions of the festival.
General Director, Opera North, Laura Canning commented, “This mutually beneficial partnership will give Opera North the opportunity to deliver great opera in a new context, while also enabling more learning and engagement activity to be developed in the area, reaching out to, and connecting with, the wider community. We look forward to working with the organisers to build on the success of an event which is rapidly becoming a major fixture in the UK arts calendar.”
Further details from the Nevill Holt website.
