The company

Based on the borders of Surrey, Hampshire, and West Sussex, Opera South presents operas, particularly lesser known operas, of real artistic merit.

The company was founded in 1984 as Opera Omnibus and was soon both incorporated as a limited company and registered as a charity . The company rebranded itself as Opera South in the first years of the 21st century. For more details, see the company history.


Dominic Barrand as Sir John Falstaff and Catriona Holt as Alice Ford in the Opera South production of The Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai, February 2006

Aims

Opera South aims to:

A very high standard of enjoyment is achieved with professional lighting, costume, and set design and a highly trained chorus. The company also occasionally performs in London or elsewhere.

The orchestra

The renowned Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra joined the company in 2005 and plays at the fully staged productions held annually in February at the Haslemere Hall, with Tom Higgins, our Director of Music, conducting.