Our patron, international tenor David Butt Philip, has once again rifled through his little black book and persuaded three leading names from the opera world to forgo the top stages for 24 hours and come to Clapham to present an evening of glorious musical entertainment for St Paul’s Opera.

Ten years ago, three music lovers got together and had a wild idea: why not stage an opera, using St Paul’s Church in Clapham’s Old Town as the stage?

The trio – the-then vicar of St Paul’s Deborah Matthews, Australian opera singer and teacher Jennifer McGregor and Clapham-based soprano Patricia Ninian – decided to stage a performance of two short operas, Gianni Schicchi and Der Schauspieldirektor. The rest is history.

To celebrate this 10th anniversary SPO is staging a special gala concert featuring favourite arias and scenes from SPO’s back catalogue, a ‘greatest hits’ compilation from operas staged over the years.

The evening will feature excerpts from:

Der Schauspieldirektor, Gianni Schicchi, Turandot, Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, Orpheus in the Underworld, Così fan Tutte, Le Nozze di Figaro and Albert Herring

Soloists include:

Tamsin Birch, Charlotte Brosnan, Antonia Cviic, Fiona Hymns,

Tanya Hurst, Olivia Lewis, Patricia Ninian, Louisa Tee,

Alexandra Dinwiddie, Natasha Elliott, Sophie Horrocks, Jenny Samue,l

Alex Ackhurst, Hugh Benson, Adam Brown, Stephen Cviic

Owain Evans, Ross Fettes, Peder Holtermann & Louis Hurst

Our Patron – affectionally known as DBP – returns on Thursday 23rd March, this time to sing with three other colleagues from the world of opera, with two equally talented pianists to provide elegant accompaniment for the evening.

Our line-up of singers are more used to the Royal Opera House, the New York Met, Wien Staatsoper and the ENO’s Coliseum, than St Paul’s Church just around the corner, but that’s where they’ll be next Thursday, singing for our vital fund raising event.

Joining tenor DBP, who has most recently been seen at the Royal Opera House as Prince in Rusalka, are soprano Natalya Romaniw (returning this week from singing the role of Tosca at Hamburg Staatsoper), mezzo-soprano Katie Stevenson (who finished a run at the ENO last week in the role of Flosshilde in The Rhinegold) and baritone Ross Ramgobin (also in Rusalka at the Royal Opera House in the role of Hajnŷ).

Piano accompaniment will be by Ben-San Lau and Ed Whitehead.

To read an interview with Natalya, just click this link; to meet Katie, click here; and for Ross it’s here. To discover more about pianists San click here and Ed click here.

Thursday, 23rd February will be the fifth time that David Butt Philip has hosted his Masterclass at St Paul’s Opera, but the first time in his official capacity as our Patron.

We are delighted to be bringing you something a little different in the New Year. SPO favourites, husband and wife team Louis and Tanya Hurst, have put together a remarkable gala evening designed to show how tempestuous it is being married to an opera singer!

This is a rare treat and a first for SPO. It's an evening of operatic repertoire, some of which is well known to all of us, but the programme also explores arias and duets that are aired more infrequently. It's an excellent opportunity to widen our opera horizon. Performing a multitude of scenes from across opera, in Love and War they will explore the nature of love and how passionate it can be.

Hänsel and Gretel are very, VERY hungry. When their mother sends them out into the forest one evening to collect berries for tea, they don’t notice the night closing in around them, and they lose their way. With the help of the Sandman and Dew Fairy, the children manage to sleep. In the morning they try to find the path again... when suddenly they stumble across a house made of gingerbread, sweets and every type of cake imaginable. Heaven for hungry tummies!! But this is a witch’s house, and she doesn’t let children eat her house for free...

We will have a programme of operatic gems, as well as some much-loved choices from musical theatre, and no doubt a few surprises in store.  Our cast of singers were all involved in our summer programme of Albert Herring and we are particularly delighted to welcome them back, as we’ve all been missing each other since July.

Introducing Albert Herring – a comic tale of small town life, where the attitudes and relationships of the local dignitaries, both obvious and concealed, lead the hapless Albert Herring to his unwanted prominent role of May King in the community.

We are most fortunate to have within our own community of Clapham Old Town one of the leading authorities on the works of Benjamin Britten – Christopher Wintle, emeritus member of the Music Department of King’s College London, author of What Opera Means, and editor of Hans Keller’s Britten Essays, Letters and Opera Guides.

Ahead of our summer festival performances, Christopher will give a talk enlightening us with his extensive knowledge of both Britten and Albert, describing the origins of the work and illustrating how indebted it is in design to the middle and late works of Verdi.

The evening will also include a panel discussion with Christopher, SPO’s production Stage Director, Annemiek van Elst and Musical Director, Panaretos Kyriatzidis, followed by an audience Q&A. 

And to make sure you come away from the evening with a taste of the wonderful music of Albert Herring, members of the cast will perform excerpts from the opera throughout the evening.

After an enforced break over the last two years we are delighted to announce David Butt Philip is back with St Paul’s Opera for his fourth Masterclass and we are most grateful to him for, once again, finding time in his increasingly busy international schedule for this event which is growing in popularity

Join St Paul’s Opera and Patricia Ninian to celebrate a certain ‘Big Birthday’ with a free concert of opera and cabaret.

Patricia has invited some SPO friends to join her in putting together a sumptuous evening of opera’s classic repertoire and some gems from the world of cabaret – songs to create an evening of fun and celebration. And you are invited to enjoy the evening with them.

Patricia will be joined by friends including:

Louis and Tanya Hurst
Fiona Hymns
Louisa Tee
Alexandra Dinwiddie
Martins Smaukstelis
Owain Evans
Jonathan Boardman

And there’ll be a special performance from SPO co-founder, international soprano Jennifer McGregor

Of course, an SPO gala would not be complete without the unfailing support of accompanist, Panaretos Kyriatzidis.

It is truly a rare privilege to announce an evening bringing the cream of the world’s librettists together to discuss their role in crafting some of the most revered contemporary operatic ‘scripts’.

We are delighted to welcome Meredith Oakes and Philip Hensher to St Paul’s Opera’s home – St Paul’s Church, Rectory Grove, SW4 0DZ – on Tuesday 8th June at 8pm, to a round-table discussion hosted by the Rev Canon Jonathan Boardman, vicar of St Paul’s, and also a mine of information on all aspects of the operatic repertoire.

Australian Meredith Oakes wrote the libretto to The Tempest (Thomas Adés) which was premiered in February 2004 at the Royal Opera House. Meredith is also a prolific playwright. Philip Hensher, who was born in South London but grew up in Sheffield, is a Professor of Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. He wrote the libretto to Powder Her Face (Thomas Adés) and is also a novelist with Man Booker long- and short-listed books to his credit.

The evening will also include musical interludes to illustrate the topic of discussion.

It was an emotional day for St Paul’s Opera, returning to live music making at our Picnic Gala last Saturday. Thanks to all who made it happen…

Father Jonathan, the opera-loving priest of St Paul's Church, introduces SPO's final Friday Night Is Music Night virtual concert, featuring more glorious music from Benjamin Britten.

For our fifth night of music we have a pot pourri of styles including baroque, German lied, a couple of Bellini Bel Canto arias and some beautiful French offerings from Massenet, Debussy and Berlioz...

For our fourth Friday night virtual concert our talented musicians turn their attention to Germany with lieder from Schumann and Schubert, a Kienzl operetta, some stonking Wagner and a charming Mendelssohn 'song without words'.

For our third Friday night virtual concert we celebrate the music of Benjamin Britten – a nod to our postponed summer opera festival, Albert Herring. Tonight our musicians perform favourite pieces from the Britten repertoire…

We hope you are all safe and sane!

Welcome to our first Friday night virtual concert. In true St Paul’s Opera style, please make sure you have been to the bar and you have a refreshing glass of ‘weekend wind-down’. Sit back…

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Our line up of musicians presents truly amazing talent -

Sopranos - Tamzin Barnett, Tamsin Birch, Patricia Ninian, Charlotte North, Davidona Pittock, Hannah Thomas

Mezzo-sopranos - Alexandra Dinwiddie, Heidi Jost

Tenor - Robin Whitehouse

Baritones - Louis Hirst, Gregor Kowalski

Pianist - Panaretos Kyriatzidis