Peterborough Opera Company was formed in 1969 by local music teacher, Clive Fairbairn, our first Musical Director. Singers were recruited for a production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Costumes were made by Olga Hutchinson (who also sang in the production) and other members of the Company. The Producer was David Smart, a local English teacher, and the production was staged at the Peterborough Technical College (now the Regional College).
From this first production, the company went on to greater things, attracting our own Producers, Set Designers and Costume Makers, working just for expenses. During the next few years, productions were taken to Corby, Stamford, Huntingdon and Oakham. In 1974, we were invited to move to the Key Theatre in Peterborough; Mozart’s Don Giovanni was our first production there. Our early productions used to be in June or July, but in 1976 they were moved to the autumn, as members battled with too many nights with high temperatures in the Key Theatre!
The company has staged most of the standard opera repertoire, but also many productions of lesser known works by composers such as Vaughan Williams, Britten and Cimarosa. Over 30 operas have been in the repertoire of the company (see Past Productions).
In the past, Peterborough Opera have welcomed some notable guests to their productions! In 1988, for Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades, the Company had a visit from the then Royal Patron, HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. In 2002, for Vaughan Williams’ Hugh the Drover, they were honoured with a visit from his wife, the late Ursula Vaughan Williams.
In 2010, after nearly 40 years of performing at the Key Theatre, our main productions were moved to the Corn Exchange Theatre in Stamford. However, in 2017 we moved to the Queen Victoria Hall in Oundle, where we have performed our full productions over the past 5 years.
Have you been a member of Peterborough Opera over the last 50+ years, or do you perhaps remember watching a particular production of ours? We’d love to hear your memories. Please feel free to share your memories with us using the form below: