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Lunchtime song recital
Helen-Jane Howells, winner of the 2008 John Warner Memorial Award, sings a mixture of songs and arias by Handel, Poulenc, Coates, Puccini and others.

Verdi       Falstaff
This new production for 2009 is directed by Richard Jones and conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, the team which scored such a striking success with their 2007 collaboration on Verdi’s first Shakespearian opera, Macbeth.   Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Music to celebrate anniversaries
included in the programme will be extracts from three of Purcell's masques - The Fairy Queen, Dido and Aeneas and King Arthur. Haydn will be represented by Part Songs and Mendelssohn by Hear my prayer, including the aria O, for the wings of a dove.

Haydn in London
Haydn's vocal compositions may contain coded messages of love!  Song and extracts from the composer's journals, diaries and letters uncover an amorous liaison with poetess Anne Hunter.

Mendelssohn      Elijah

Lunchtime recital
three tenors and piano

Dvořák       Rusalka
This new production for 2009 is directed by Melly Still and conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek. Partly inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s poignant fable The Little Mermaid, Dvořák’s operatic masterpiece tells of a water nymph who longs to become human in order to win the love of a handsome prince, only to find herself betrayed by him.  Sung in Czech with English supertitles.

a late evening performance of the Requiem together with other works by Mozart.

Purcell       The Fairy Queen
A new production for 2009.  Purcell’s joyous response to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, incorporates of Shakespeare’s text into a fascinating carnival of music, theatre and dance.   It becomes a series of fantastical masques, culminating in a lavish wedding ceremony. The original production called for such staggering scenic effects that the cost of the sets and costumes almost bankrupted Purcell's theatre. Sung in English with supertitles.

Lunchtime recital

Lunchtime concert

A programme of Handel and Mozart
Handel's famous Coronation Anthem Zadok the Priest is followed by Mozart's Divertimento for Strings. Commemorating the 250th year since Handel's death, the evening will end resplendently with Handel's Dixit Dominus for soloists, choir and orchestra.

Hot, hot, hot!
a fun-filled programme

Words and Music
the Etchingham Arts Festival presents a specially devised programme of A E Housman’s poetic collection A Shropshire Lad and various choral works performed by the Wadhurst Chorale.

Sumer is ycomen in
a programme of sacred and secular choral music from the 17th century to the present day.

Haydn      The Creation
in a special concert to mark the 200th anniversary of the composer's death, Haydn's oratorio is performed by a leading chamber choir with the period instrumental ensemble Counterpoint.

Chansons Cordiales
music by Mendelssohn, Schubert, Fauré, Hahn, Strauss, Brahms, Mozart, Handel, Donizetti, Bizet and Humperdinck

Singing Day
open to all singers - the singing day will focus on sacred choral works from Victoria to Tavener.  Music to be rehearsed starts with 16th century Victoria's Missa Laetatus Sum, and then contrasting works from the 19th and 20th centuries - Bruckner's Christus factus est, William Harris' Faire is the Heaven and John Tavener's Song for Athene.

Donizetti      L'elisir d'amore
true love, military swagger and a quack selling his "Elixir of Love"  all feature in this comedy opera, full of melody and heartfelt sentiment.   A concert performance.

Bernstein & Bock on Broadway
an evening of musical favourites including items from Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story.

The Producers
a musical-comedy based on the Mel Brooks 1968 film. the story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich by overselling interests in a Broadway flop. The result is an outrageous production called Springtime For Hitler which offends everyone, and so upsets no-one!

Donizetti       L'elisir d'amore
First staged in 2007, this production is directed by Annabel Arden and conducted by Maurizio Benini. Set in an idyllic vision of a Southern Italian village square, Donizetti’s delightful opera tells of the romantic rivalry between the penniless Nemorino and the swaggering Sergeant Belcore for the love of beautiful Adina. Can the travelling quack Dr Dulcamara  have just the potion to turn Adina's eyes in Nemorino's direction?   Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Bernstein & Bock on Broadway
an evening of musical favourites including items from Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story.

Byrd      Mass for 4 voices