Kennet Opera is an amateur company formed by a group of friends who wanted to perform the music they loved in their home town, Newbury. Opera is at the heart of what we do, and we have staged a major production, sung in English, every year between 1994 and 2019 and from 2023 onwards.
We are a singing family, united by our love of opera. While we strive for high professional standards, the point of our existence is to give pleasure to our audience, and in doing so to have a really good time ourselves! We also seek to support young professionals and others to develop their vocal and performance skills and extend their repertoire.
And we want to hear from singers, musicians and people from all the arts and crafts behind opera. Contact us here.
We are a registered charity, number 1110637.
We have staged an opera every year since 1994 (except for three lockdown years), sung in English, and in venues ranging from school halls to Newbury Corn Exchange, Arlington Arts and the Great Hall at Shaw House. We are excited to be moving to a fantastic new venue in Newbury, The Old Library, for our next production, Britten's Albert Herring, in March 2027.
Check out our many years of grand opera ….
Summer concert performances in halls, churches, gardens and other local venues are a vital part of our year's work. In the lockdown years, we still managed to perform out of doors! Below, two settings for our 2026 "Scaled back La Scala" series, held over one June weekend. These are from St Martin's Church East Woodhay, and Brimpton village hall.
You'll see us fundraising (for ourselves or other good causes) at Christmas carol time, and for summer outdoor events. This year we have a quiz night on 16th October, and a Christmas concert on Sunday 29th November. It will be a matinee in our splendid rehearsal space, the Majendie Hall. More details to follow!
Weekly rehearsals, for principals and chorus in Albert Herring, run from 16th September. As before, they are most Wednesday evenings, at 7.30, in The Majendie Hall, St Mary's Church, Speen, Newbury RG14 1SA. If you're not on our mailing list or social media, please contact us in advance to double-check.
