If Opera

Pathos and hilarity meet at IF Opera’s new home.

IF Opera – Rigoletto & Orpheus in the Underworld, Church Farm, 2025 IF Opera’s move from the stately lawns of Belcombe Court to the working idyll of Church Farm has brought with it a pleasing blend of rustic charm and artistic ambition – plus the novelty of rescue donkeys grazing contentedly in the neighbouring field…

If Opera: Lucia di Lammermoor and Die Fledermaus

Whether it is the most lavishly funded opera house or an independent summer festival, opera should be about the singing. Production qualities are important but must be seen as secondary. Sadly, this is not often the case. However, at the fascinating If Opera this short season you can see a performance of Donizetti’s Lucia di…

The Mikado fun but without much bite, If Opera

This evening entertainment at If Opera’s summer festival, an offering of this Charles Court Opera version of The Mikado, was well-received by the audience. Judging by judicious eavesdropping, the audience members particularly enjoyed the humour and did not seem phased by the transposition of the Gilbert and Sullivan story to an all-British group of colonial…

If Opera delights its audiences with blossoming talent in Belcombe Court’s gardens

The enthusiastic response by audiences to If Opera’s 2022 season has demonstrated there is clearly an appetite for this repertory ensemble approach by the ambitious rebranded company, formerly Iford Arts. Taking place in the grounds of Belcombe Court no doubt added to the overall enjoyment of the festival experience. But the hearty responses to the…