ABOUT BATH OPERA
Presenting sensational opera in Bath, sung in English with full orchestra, since 1977.
Bath Opera’s first opera sung in Italian followed by Don Giovanni La Traviata our summer tour.
The curtain has come down on Bath Opera’s first production sung in Italian, of Bellini’s Norma, which was performed on February 19th at the Roper Theatre, Bath.
Future offerings from Bath Opera include our 2025 summer tour of La Traviata, which is currently in rehearsal, and our next main show in February 2026, which will be Bellini’s Bizet’s grand opera “Carmen”. Check out the News page for more recent news from the company.
Bath Opera performs an annual fully-staged opera production in February and a small scale Summer touring production to venues within 25 miles of Bath.
Our most recent production, was our 2025 main show “Norma”, which was performed at the Roper Theatre in Bath in February 2025. Go to ‘Our Last Main
Production’ for more information.
Our next production will be our summer tour of La Traviata, which is currently in rehearsal and will be performed in locations across Bath and the
surrounding area in June and July 2025. Our next main production will be Bizet’s “Carmen” which will be performed at the Roper Theatre in February 2026, and will be directed by Naomi Rose-Mock and conducted by Francis Faux.
To find out more about upcoming auditions for “Carmen”, go to ‘Our Next Main Production’.
Bath Opera: Past, present & future
What we do
1977 saw Bath Opera’s first fully staged production with Verdi’s Macbeth with Jill Fowles and David Edwards in the leading roles. Jill and David were to continue to oversee the development of the company for the next two decades attracting singers, conductors, instrumentalists, directors, designers and technicians of the highest possible calibre.
In addition to presenting opera from the mainstream, Bath Opera’s repertoire includes pioneering work from Eastern European opera, featuring Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmilla and two operas by Smetana for which new English translations were provided from within the group.
Bath Opera continues this adventurous tradition performing works by Kurt Weill, Aaron Copland, Benjamin Britten and Césare Luis Menotti alongside such popular hits as Carmen, Cavalleria Rusticana, Madame Butterfly and La Boheme.
Where we perform
Bath Opera has performed at a number of venues in and around Bath, from the wide stage of Bath University to the intimate space of Larkhall’s Rondo Theatre. From 2018 our main productions have been held at the comfortable and superbly equipped new Roper Theatre – part of Bath’s Hayesfield School.
On the road
Each year, Bath Opera takes to the road with a tour of small scale fully staged operas across the south of the country from Surrey to South Wales. Venues closer to home have included Midsomer Norton, Seend, Great Chalfield Manor, Widcombe Manor and Chippenham’s Neeld Hall.
