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

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.

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.

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…

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