Leeds guide to Opera in the Park

What could be a better way to spend a summer evening than listening to fine opera outdoors in the gardens of a beautiful country estate? Well on Saturday 25th July you can do exactly that at the annual Opera in the Park at Temple Newsam near Leeds. This year the Hallé from Manchester along with Leeds Festival Chorus, soprano Natasha Marsh, and tenor Alfie Boe, will be performing works by Verdi and Denza, conducted by David Parry.

Free live music event

The incredible part about it is that it won’t even cost you a penny, as the whole event is all laid on for free. This makes the whole evening a wonderful treat for opera lovers in these cost-conscious times, and it may well encourage first time opera goers to come along too. Temple Newsam, just 4 miles east from the centre of Leeds, is a stately home with grounds that were originally landscaped by Capability Brown, which will no doubt make the perfect romantic backdrop for the performance by this fantastic line-up.

Opera in the Park lineup

Welsh-born opera diva Natasha Marsh was inspired to sing by seeing Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music”, an ambition which led her to the Royal College of Music. Natasha was on tour with singing quartet Blake earlier this year, accompanied by new baby Harley. Award winning and chart topping Lancashire lad Alfie Boe has performed at the Royal Albert Hall with Lesley Garratt and Sir Willard White, and also recently performed in the English National Opera’s production of Kismet.

The Hallé is Britain’s longest established professional symphony orchestra, and was founded in Manchester by pianist and conductor Sir Charles Hallé in 1858. The hard-working Hallé now gives over 70 concerts a year at its home, Bridgewater Hall, as well as putting in over 40 appearances a year at other venues. In 2003 the Hallé launched its own CD label, on which it releases recordings of its performances of works by Elgar, Debussy, Shostakovich and other composers.

Leeds Festival Chorus is an amateur chorus of some 170 members singing in soprano, alto, tenor and bass, appearing regularly on BBC Radio 3, and working frequently with the Hallé. The Chorus goes back a long way, being founded to sing at the first Leeds Musical Festival back in 1858, which was also the year that Queen Victoria opened Leeds Town Hall. David Parry regularly conducts the London Philharmonic, The Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, The Madrid Symphony Orchestra, and other leading orchestras.

Get your free Opera in the Park tickets

So if you fancy an unforgettable night of opera al fresco in stately grounds, now is the time to pick up your free tickets, which are now available from local libraries, Leeds Visitor Centre, and the Carriageworks Box Office. I’m sure Capability himself would have enjoyed it. The gates open at 18.00, and there will be a shuttle bus running to and from Temple Newsam.

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