Opera fans enjoy magical weekend - thanks to Greenham Common Trust and Opera Brava

A record audience of over 1,500 enjoyed a night of open-air opera at Newbury Racecourse, the latest in a series of events by Greenham Common Trust to encourage local residents to enjoy the arts.

Families tucked into picnics on a glorious summer evening as they watched Opera Brava's sparkling new production of Mozart's The Magic Flute, accompanied by an orchestra.

With tickets at just £5 in advance, thanks to the Trust's support, the audience were treated to a top-quality professional performance at a fraction of Covent Garden prices.

It is the second year Sussex-based Opera Brava has performed at the racecourse after last year's performance of The Marriage of Figaro proved such a success.

Many families made a full evening of last Saturday's performance, arriving early to enjoy the wonderful setting of Newbury Racecourse on one of the hottest days of the summer.

Opera Brava's vibrant production, all sung in English, included an international cast of world-class singers with American tenor Ted Schmitz as Tamino, soprano Amanda Forbes as Pamina and Amanda Buckland as Queen of the Night.

Directed by Michael Gieleta, who has a wealth of experience including credits at the Royal Opera House and Glyndebourne, the musical talent was led magnificently under the baton of Jeremy Silver as conductor and musical director.

Opera Brava's co-founder, Bronek Pomorski, said: "It was a really magical evening and we were thrilled to return to Newbury Racecourse. We'll be back next year with another fabulous production when we'll look forward to working with Greenham Common Trust again."

Greenham Common Trust Chief Executive Stuart Tagg added: "This is a unique opportunity for the whole family to experience a world class opera for just £5. The Trust wants to give the whole community access to this exciting cultural and musical experience. So if you've never been to an opera before why not come down and enjoy a wonderful evening out.

The Magic Flute performance was part of a weekend of opera at the racecourse organized by the Trust. Opera Brava ran an opera workshop with more than 70 children from The Willows Primary School in Greenham in which the youngsters learned a specially-commissioned opera based on CS Lewis' classic The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in just five days.

The children, aged 8 to 11, performed the opera in front of parents and friends at the racecourse on Friday evening with full stage lighting, costumes and make-up. Headteacher Alexandra Butler said it was an incredible achievement for many of the children who had never experienced theatre or sung in a stage performance before.

"It was a phenomenal success. We are so grateful to have been given this opportunity. To be able to prepare and perform a full production in just one week is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved and I am very proud of them. Congratulations must also go to pupil Samantha Ho for her wonderful winning programme design."

See a photo gallery of Willows School performance of 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'

Both events were filmed and a DVD of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe will be on sale shortly to raise funds for the school.

Opera Brava is Britain's leading outdoor opera touring company and they will be performing The Magic Flute among many other classic operas at a number of stately homes and top outdoor venues this summer.

Trust Chief Executive, Stuart Tagg, said: "It was a fantastic and record breaking weekend of opera. A high quality professional performance at £5 for advanced tickets - that's Opera for All.

The Trust wants to find out what you thought of the opera. To register your feedback please use the following link

http://www.surveyserver.net/?f=5757

For more information about The Magic Flute and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe contact Julian May on 01635 817407 or email julian@greenham-common-trust.co.uk.