2025/26
Annual Report th
Our 55 Season of operatic discovery
REWRITING OPERATIC HISTORY
Discovering opera’s past, inspiring its future Since 1970, Opera Rara has sought out the lost and forgotten masterpieces from our operatic heritage. We restore our discoveries by creating meticulous modern scores. We record them with the world’s greatest singers, orchestras and choruses alongside young, rising talent. And we bring them to the world, making the most of every opportunity to grow a global awareness and appreciation of our beloved artform. Our 2025/26 Season has seen exciting growth, both in our impact across the sector and in our artistic achievements. We have continued to expand our catalogue of restorations, now recorded for posterity. By cultivating new educational partnerships, we are creating pathways for students, researchers and young artists to engage directly with our musical discoveries. We are expanding the reach of our work, sharing our expertise and collaborating with conservatoires, universities and cultural organisations. Every Opera Rara performance and recording is the result of thousands of hours of scholarship, artistry and care. Behind each discovered score stands a community of people whose expertise cannot be taken for granted: musicologists, editors, conductors, singers, répétiteurs, orchestral musicians, and choristers breathing life into music that may not have been heard for generations, if ever. Their knowledge, imagination and dedication transform lost works from the past into a living artistic legacy, now secured for generations to come.
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVEIW
As a charity that doesn’t receive public funding, our success is measured not simply by the number of masterpieces we restore, but by the people whose lives are enriched through them. This season demonstrated the extraordinary impact that can be achieved when scholarship, artistry and philanthropy come together with a shared passion.
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As we look ahead, we remain committed to uncovering the operatic treasures that still lie waiting, to investing in the people who make their revival possible and to ensuring that these remarkable works continue to find and grow new audiences for opera around the world.
RESTORE Henry Little
Chief Executive
Charles Alexander CBE
Chairman
RECORD
PERFORM
PROMOTE
A landmark year of award-winning discovery One of the greatest joys of being Opera Rara’s Artistic Director is that there is always something new to discover. Even with the composers we know and love best, there are stories waiting to be told and music waiting to be heard. That spirit of discovery has always defined Opera Rara, and this season has been one I will remember with enormous pride. Our presentation of the final1921 version of Puccini's La rondine gave audiences the opportunity to hear the version the composer himself regarded as definitive, painstakingly restored and reconstructed after the original score was lost and destroyed. To conduct this piece with an outstanding cast, led by our Artist Ambassador Ermonela Jaho, and in partnership with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers, was for me a particular high point. The critical response from the performance confirmed what many of us felt in the concert hall: that this was not simply the recovery of a lost version, but a new understanding of one of opera's greatest composers.
REWRITING OPERATIC HISTORY
Carlo Rizzi conducts the cast of Puccini’s final 1921 version of La rondine with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers
WITH OUR THANKS THE DONIZETTI SONG PROEJECT MADE POSSIBLE BY GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM Elena Baturina in loving memory of Yury Luzhkov Andrea Pessino WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM
Philip Eisenbeiss, Carlo Rizzi and Lucy Stout, The Colwinston Charitable Trust, Cockayne Grants for the Arts at the London Community Foundation, and the Donizetti Syndicate
THE FINAL 1921 VERSION OF PUCCINI’S LA RONDINE MADE POSSIBLE BY GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM
As I look ahead, I am even more optimistic for both Opera Rara and our unique role in championing our artform. I remain deeply committed to this remarkable organisation and to guiding its artistic vision through the coming years to our 60th anniversary season in 2030/31. We will create more restorations, recordings and performances that continue to delight and grow audiences, and we will preserve our unique sense of artistic “family” that makes working with Opera Rara such a joy. There are still countless treasures waiting to be discovered, and with your help, we’ll share them with the world.
Andrea Pessino
WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM
With thanks to our 2025/26 Season partners and collaborators
The Marchus Trust and from Artist Benefactors: Philip Eisenbeiss, Islée Oliva Salinas & Michael Buckley, Jenny Hodgson, and Sara Naudi
THE 2025/26 SALON SERIES
PARTIALLY MADE POSSIBLE BY SUPPORT FROM
The Backstage Trust
Carlo Rizzi
Artistic Director
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVEIW
Alongside this landmark achievement came the completion of another project that has defined Opera Rara’s work for the last three years: the restoration and recording of Gaetano Donizetti's complete songs. We are developing the world’s understanding and appreciation of Italian song, unearthing a glorious “new” repertoire that singers, scholars and audiences can now embrace. The many awards and accolades received to date for this project are a testament not simply to the composer and the excellence of the artists’ performances on the recordings, but to the remarkable scholarship that made them possible. Now, we take these songs and share them with the world through new and exciting educational partnerships.
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RESTORE OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVEIW 03
Giulio Zappa, director of the Donizetti Opera Festival’s Bottega Programme, and Roger Parker introduce the Donizetti Song Project at the 2025 festival in Bergamo, Italy
“Just when you think you know the style of a composer responsible for some of the greatest masterpieces of Italian bel canto, know the melodies that time and again grace the request concerts, know his formal mastery that remains admirable to this day and his harmonic surprises that would have sufficed for several careers… Along comes the delightful realisation: the man also wrote songs – and what songs they are!” OPER! AWARDS 2026 JURY STATEMENT
Opera Rara is rewriting operatic history through its restoration of operatic treasures that have been lost to time and circumstance, bringing them back for the enjoyment and education of the public. Plumbing the depths of history, we discover works that deserve to be heard. This year’s process of discovery has been best highlighted by the completion of the Donizetti Song Project and the restoration and reconstruction of the final 1921 version of Giacomo Puccini’s La rondine.
Carlo Rizzi and Ditlev Rindom introduce Puccini’s La rondine at the Italian Embassy in London
RESTORE
Restoring our rich operatic heritage
A landmark achievement in musical scholarship, Puccini's La rondine has now been heard in the way the composer intended. The score of this version was effectively lost after the destruction of the original manuscript during the Second World War. Working from surviving sketches and source materials, music historian Ditlev Rindom prepared the first critical edition, while our Assistant Conductor Martin Fitzpatrick reconstructed and orchestrated the missing passages. This allowed audiences to enjoy the complete score for the first time in over a century. The restoration revealed not only an alternative ending but a different dramatic and musical conception, illuminating Puccini's final thoughts on the work. By taking on this project, we have given audiences and performers the ability to experience this unheard version of the opera, opening a new chapter for La rondine. It will no longer remain just a historic curiosity.
Enjoy interviews with Carlo Rizzi, Roger Parker and many more as they release the final volume of Donizetti Songs.
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
Roger Parker works with Giulio Zappa and Marie-Nicole Lemieux on the new edition of Donizetti’s songs
We also completed one of the most ambitious restoration projects in Opera Rara's history: Donizetti's complete collection of solo songs. Drawing on manuscripts and sources from around the world, this landmark project has transformed a neglected body of work into a living repertoire for singers, scholars and audiences. Along the way, our research uncovered and restored a further 70+ duets, trios and ensembles, extending the project's impact even further. These scores, restored by Roger Parker and Ian Schofield, are now available to be performed and studied.
Scan the QR code to watch
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Looking ahead, work is already underway on more operas and songs. Through our restorations, Opera Rara ensures these newly discovered masterpieces become available to the public and enjoyed rather than remaining hidden in archives. THE DONIZETTI SONG PROJECT COMES TO A CLOSE
Carlo Rizzi and Ditlev Rindom checking the reconstructed edition of Puccini’s final version of La rondine
RECORD
Donizetti’s songs: transforming a forgotten repertoire
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
When nearly 200 songs by Gaetano Donizetti were collected and made available by Roger Parker, the idea for a project took shape. In June this year, the final recording, Volume 8 of the Donizetti Songs Collection, was released, bringing this exciting project to completion. Over the past three years, we have achieved:
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• Five major Donizetti & Friends recitals at Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall featuring renowned artists including singers Ermonela Jaho, Rosa Feola, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Lawrence Brownlee, Michael Spyres and Nicola Alaimo alongside pianists Giulio Zappa and Carlo Rizzi, as well as a variety of instrumentalists. • Twelve Salon Concerts providing performance and careerdevelopment opportunities for emerging artists with programmes that also honoured their own musical heritages. • 43 total musicians and production team members employed, with 17 mainstage and recording artists, 18 emerging artists and 8 collaborators, coaches and musicologists. • 3,034 total concert attendees with 180,515 online concert viewers and growing. • An eight-volume recording series documenting Donizetti’s complete solo songs - 171 in total - for the first time, which has received 20 recognitions and accolades so far. • A six-part podcast and livestream series, Lives In Song: Donizetti, telling the story of Donizetti’s life through his songs and expanding access to audiences worldwide. • New partnerships both in the UK and abroad with institutions including The Juilliard School in New York, Oxford International Song Festival, Temple Music in London, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the Donizetti Opera Festival in Bergamo, Italy. A further set of partnerships are in development and will be announced in the Artists made coming year. their recording
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debuts this year
Opera Rara’s work not only to restore the operatic gems from the past but also to record them in the studio makes it possible for these operas and songs to reach thousands of listeners worldwide. This creates a vibrant artistic legacy that will survive long past the initial performance of the work. In our 2025/26 Season, Opera Rara released four recordings: Volumes 5-7 of Donizetti Songs, featuring sopranos Ermonela Jaho, Opera Rara’s Artist Ambassador, and Rosa Feola, alongside Volume 8 with bass-baritone Nicola Alaimo, all accompanied by Carlo Rizzi. The entire collection was honoured with the OPER! Award for the Best Complete Edition. Volume 7, with Rosa Feola, was chosen by BBC Music Magazine as the Vocal Choice of the Month, and Volumes 5 & 6, featuring Ermonela Jaho, won the International Classical Music Award this year in the Best Vocal Category.
RECORD
Creating an artistic legacy that will endure
Opera Rara’s recordings continued to receive widespread critical acclaim, with the most recent complete opera recording release, Verdi’s original 1857 version of Simon Boccanegra, being nominated for an International Opera Award, Gramophone Award and International Classical Music Award as well as being chosen as one of the best classical music albums of 2025 by Presto, Europadisc, Gramophone, The Arts Desk, The Times and The New York Times. Opera Rara’s recordings also provide rare opportunities for emerging talent to showcase their unique abilities and artistry. Since its founding, Opera Rara has given many artists their recording debuts, and in 2025, Germán Enrique Alcántara, who made his first recording in the title role of our Simon Boccanegra, was awarded Recording Debut of the Year
at the Presto Music Awards.
In December 2025, Opera Rara entered the BBC Maida Vale Studios to record the reconstructed final 1921 version of La rondine, making sure this restored work remains heard for many years to come. Not only was it the very first recording of this lost version, but it was a record number for Opera Rara of artists entering the recording studio for the first time, with six artists making their studio opera recording debuts. The recording will be released worldwide on 30 October 2026, preceded by a radio broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 2 October 2026.
Read about Opera Rara’s OPER! Award for the Donizetti Song Project.
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
Carlo Rizzi conducts the cast of Puccini’s final 1921 version of La rondine with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers
Scan the QR code to read more
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AWARDS
PERFORM OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW 07
Carlo Rizzi leads the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers in the Act 2 quartet of the final 1921 version of Puccini’s La rondine with Iván Ayón-Rivas, Ermonela Jaho, Ellie Neate and Juan Francisco Gatell
“The occasion was also a useful reminder of the sheer quality of the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s players and of Rizzi’s entirely persuasive manner of interpreting Puccini’s music – the equal of that of any conductor of our time… The cast had been astutely put together and impressed from top to bottom… All in all an outstanding evening and one of genuine importance in the history of opera itself.” OPERA MAGAZINE
Opera Rara continues to engage excited audiences in London and elsewhere through a programme of concerts featuring rarely, if ever, performed music. The headlining performance of the season was Puccini’s La rondine, presented to a sold-out audience at the Barbican Hall. This first performance of this version in more than 100 years received high acclaim and many 5 and 4-star reviews.
Carlo Rizzi and Nicola Alaimo perform in the Donizetti & Friends series at Wigmore Hall
Alongside our large-scale performances, Opera Rara also presented a set of Salon Concerts, featuring new emerging talent. This series continues our commitment to nurturing the next generation of talent, while also providing an opportunity for these artists to work with Opera Rara’s repertoire consultant, Roger Parker, as they develop new programmes of rarely performed, recently-restored music curated specifically for them. This year’s series featured performances by baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara, sopranos Julieth Lozano Rolong and Soraya Mafi, and tenor Robert Lewis, all accompanied by pianist Anna Tilbrook. All of the Salon Concerts this year, given in concert venues in central London, featured recently-discovered songs by Donizetti, providing a further opportunity for audiences to enjoy these restored gems. For the first time, Opera Rara partnered with the Donizetti Opera Festival to present Donizetti’s songs in the composer’s hometown of Bergamo, Italy. The Festival presented two concerts of Donizetti’s songs with the young artists of their Bottega programme, accompanied by pianist Giulio Zappa. The opening concert of the Festival’s season also featured a talk with Donizetti expert, Roger Parker. Both concerts, as well as the entire salon series, were filmed for release on YouTube, offering further opportunities for audiences worldwide to enjoy these performances while also providing further recognition for new voices.
Read the reviews of Opera Rara’s sold-out performance of Puccini’s La rondine.
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
Aigul Akhmetshina joins Germán Enrique Alcántara in the season opener Salon Concert at Middle Temple Hall
Scan the QR code to read more
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The final concert of the season, which was also the final concert of our Donizetti & Friends series at Wigmore Hall, featured bass-baritone Nicola Alaimo and pianist Carlo Rizzi with cellist Hetty Snell. This last concert in a series of five concerts over the last three years was also recorded for release as the finale of Opera Rara’s 2026 Summer Stream Series on YouTube.
IN THE PRESS
Donizetti Songs performed at the 2025 Donizetti Opera Festival
PERFORM
Inspiring audiences with moments of discovery
PROMOTE
The cast of Verdi’s original 1857 version of Simon Boccanegra with the Hallé and the Chorus of Opera North
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
Opera Rara goes viral
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Who would have thought that the release of a 90-second clip from the recording studio could cause such a buzz? But, in late November 2025, when we first shared a clip of Ermonela Jaho singing her aria from La rondine, audiences started paying attention. It quickly reached over 350K views in just a matter of days - our first viral video. Then, The New York Times named our Simon Boccanegra recording as one of its Best of 2025 recordings, and a clip of one of the most thrilling moments from the opera went truly viral, reaching nearly 3.1M
viewers and 100K likes.
Clips from the studio recording of Simon Boccanegra continued to wow online viewers with our videos viewed a total of over 4.3M times on various platforms. Excitingly, a majority of viewers are under 45 years old and from all around the world.
+128% growth in digital following this year
37,702 new online followers and subscribers
+55% online followers are under the age of 45
Growing the global engagement with our artform
performed by Nicola Alaimo and Carlo Rizzi 2. 57,285 streams - Leoncavallo’s Zingari, "Disciogli i balenanti" with the Opera Rara Chorus and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Carlo Rizzi 3. 49,207 streams - Donizetti’s Lamento per la morte di Bellini performed by Ermonela Jaho and Carlo Rizzi 4. 40,860 streams - Mercadante’s Il proscritto, Act 2: 'Colui che m'ha quest'anima' with Elizabeth DeShong, the Opera Rara Chorus and the Britten Sinfonia conducted by Carlo Rizzi 5. 38,321 streams - Rossini’s Semiramide, Act 1: “Ah! Quel giorno ognor rammento” with Daniela Barcellona and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment conducted by Sir Mark Elder
Beyond our restorations, recordings and performances, Opera Rara’s charitable work extends to the promotion of neglected operatic work, raising awareness of our discoveries as well as our artform more widely and building educational resources and partnerships that create opportunities for learning. The Donizetti Song Project demonstrates Opera Rara's distinctive ability to combine world-leading musicological research with meaningful public engagement and education. A six-part Lives in Song: Donizetti podcast and livestream series has further expanded access to the findings of this project, while new partnerships and collaborations with institutions including The Juilliard School, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the Donizetti Opera Festival are embedding the repertoire into higher education and professional training. Many of the concerts over the past three years of the project were filmed to be enjoyed free of charge online.
Most streamed videos
1. 3,091,146 views - Eri Nakamura sings the Act 1 finale of Simon Boccanegra 2. 672,768 views - The cast of Simon Boccanegra sing the Act 3 finale 3. 341,708 views - Ermonela Jaho sings “Chi il bel sogno” from La rondine 4. 233,580 views - William Thomas sings Fiesco’s aria from Simon Boccanegra 5. 131,154 views - The cast of La rondine sings the Act 2 quartet Top 10 streaming countries in 2025/26 1. United States 2. France 3. United Kingdom 4. Germany 5. Spain 6. Italy 7. Mexico 8. The Netherlands 9. China 10. Japan
Opera Rara’s recordings are streamed in over countries and territories
Opera Rara’s YouTube channel, which features documentaries, behind-thescenes content from the studio and a variety of educational resources, continued to grow this season, with now over 800 videos and clips featured there. Opera Rara continued to build new educational content over the year, including the second series of Lives in Song, which focused on the life of Giacomo Puccini. The series was hosted by Flora Willson in conversation with Puccini experts from both on and off stage, including Alexandra Wilson, Ermonela Jaho, Carlo Rizzi and Ditlev Rindom. This year also saw incredible growth and engagement on Opera Rara’s social media channels. This included in-the-studio clips of the La rondine recording as well as the Simon Boccanegra recording going viral, following the announcement of Simon Boccanegra’s inclusion in The New York Times’ Best Classical Recordings of 2025 List. We saw views on Opera Rara’s channels increase to more than one million a month, with one video alone receiving over three million views in total. Across all our channels, we also saw a substantial increase in engagement with younger viewers and followers, greatly diversifying the people who enjoy our content online.
Read about our recording of Verdi’s 1857 Simon Boccanegra being named in The New York Times Best of 2025 list
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
1. 62,909 streams - Donizetti’s “Non v'è nume, non v'è fato”
PROMOTE
Most streamed tracks
Scan the QR code to read more
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164
BEST OF 2025
OUR IMPACT
th
Our 55 Season in Numbers 2,069,897 total digital streams, downloads and views of Opera Rara’s recordings and educational videos
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4
new recordings released
mainstage and salon concerts
82% OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
audience capacity at our Salon Concerts
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Flora Willson hosts Lives in Song: Puccini
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Lives in Song podcast episodes
Iván Ayón-Rivas, Ermonela Jaho and Carlo Rizzi take the final bow at the sold-out Barbican Hall concert in London of the final 1921 version of Puccini’s La rondine
OUR IMPACT
2,672 127 3,088 167 29 15 67,147 110,534 17,089 584,325 1,485,572 46,351,796 total concert attendees
Opera Rara recordings sold
orchestra and chorus members
total musicians and production team members
total online followers
soloists and conductors
production team members
total concert streams
YouTube channel views
recording streams on music streaming platforms recording streams on social media
Rosa Feola rehearses with Carlo Rizzi while recording Volume 7 of Donizetti Songs
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
YouTube content hours watched
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OUR FINANCES Julieth Lozano Rolong, Ellie Neate, Jessica Robinson and Joanna Harries in the studio
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
The Donizetti Songs Collection, winner of the OPER! Award for Best Complete Edition in 2026
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£900,093 £893,956 £807,631 £765,743 £722,743 £411,756 £43,000
total annual income total annual expenditure spent on charitable activities
85% total amount fundraised
of income came from our supporters
donations from individuals including Gift Aid
donations from individuals outside of the UK
grants from trusts and foundations
The cast and team of Puccini’s final 1921 version of La rondine
Financials reported are from the financial year 1April 2025 to 31 March 2026
165 36
total international donors
total individual donors
OUR FINANCES
£134,350 £43,322 £18,050 £50,718
total ticket sales, recording sales and other revenue
revenue earned from CD sales and recording streams The Donizetti Opera Festival Bottega artists take a bow
revenue earned from ticket sales
spent on general marketing
VERDI’S SIMON BOCCANEGRA “Verdi’s initial version of this opera has had its defenders. Julian Budden called its first-act finale, cut from the popular 1881 revision, “startlingly original.” Michael Finnissy likely agreed when adapting that 1857 “Simon” climax for his “Verdi Transcriptions.” Now you can grab this release’s libretto and judge for yourself. My verdict: It’s electric.” THE NEW YORK TIMES, BEST CLASSICAL ALBUMS OF 2025
DONIZETTI SONGS VOLS 5&6 “As part of Opera Rara’s ambitious project to record his complete works, this album featuring Ermonela Jaho is notable for the Albanian soprano’s commitment to conveying the meaning of the lyrics, the intensity of her performance, and her ability to bring a theatrical dimension to the music, supported by Carlo Rizzi on the piano.” INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL MUSIC AWARDS 2026 JURY BEST VOCAL RECORDING
The cast of Puccini’s final 1921 version of La rondine at the Italian Embassy in London
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
Jessica Robinson makes her recording debut with Ermonela Jaho
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OUR THANKS
Opera Rara’s Supporters THANK YOU!
Carlo Rizzi, Ermonela Jaho and Henry Little accept the 2026 OPER! Award for Best Complete Edition for the Donizetti Song Project
Opera Rara’s work is only made possible by the generosity of our supporters, who believe in our mission to restore, record, perform and promote the forgotten operatic heritage of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. We would like to take this opportunity to thank those individuals and foundations who have made a gift to our 2025/26 Season with a donation made between 1 April 2025 to 1 July 2026. Your continued support is vital to our success. A full list of Opera Rara’s current Annual Fund supporters can be found at: www.opera-rara.com/list-of-supporters. GUARDIANS
Carlo Grosso Stefan Olsson & John Tierney Andrea Pessino∞
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
Henry Little and Ermonela Jaho accept the 2026 International Classical Music Award for Best Vocal Recording for Donizetti Songs Vols 5 & 6
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CIRCLE MEMBERS
OPERA RARA CIRCLE
Anonymous
ARTIST'S CIRCLE
Michael Spyres and Carlo Rizzi perform in an event for supporters in New York, launching the International Circle
To support Opera Rara’s work and join us on your own journey of operatic discovery, visit:
opera-rara.com/support
Philip Eisenbeiss+* Seifi & Ellen Ghasemi* Jenny Hodgson Islée Oliva Salinas & Michael Buckley Ditlev Rindom & Enrique Sacau Carlo Rizzi & Lucy Stout+* Sir Simon & Lady Virginia Robertson Gerry Wakelin & and the late Ivor Samuels+ ◊Gift in Kind ∞American Friend +Donizetti Syndicate *International Circle
PATRONS
Jon & Julia Aisbitt+ Yvonne Horsfall Turner◊ David & Janet McCue∞ Sara Naudi & Prof. Mark Layton Peter Rosenthal Terence & Sian Sinclair
Simon Mortimore KC Alison Nicol Nicole & Martin Ostwald Gerry Power & Pawan Dhillon Christian & Myrto Rochat Jackie & John Rothenberg Anonymous Mark Shaw Zachary Vanderburg & Felipe Ramos Barajas Arne Wasmuth FRIENDS
DEVOTEE
Timothy Congdon Sir Vernon Ellis Harry Hyman Alan Jackson Leslie & Peter Macleod-Miller◊ Joseph Mari∞ Bruce & Sara Mauleverer Imogen Rumbold Peter Thompson in honour of Carmen Giannattasio Mark Walker AFICIONADO
Claus Ambos Malcolm Barnett Sir David Bean Mackenzie Brown Anonymous Marco Compagnoni Eleanor Cranmer & Nick Thomas Jeff & Emily Fergus Howard Gatiss Paul Giles Guido Gläser & Nelly Frei Jane Gross∞ Malcolm Herring Nicole Hoechli Marie-Louise Jungels Kathryn Langridge Adolfo Laurenti & Juliet Petrus Michele Leuenberger & Martin Hatzinger Louis Levene Henry Little & Prof. Maria M. Delgado Chris & Dominique Moore
AFICIONADO (continued)
TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS
Carlo Rizzi with Opera Rara Guardian supporter Andrea Pessino and Kelsey Holmes
ENTHUSIAST
Anthony Freud & Colin Ure Lesley Garrett & Peter Christian Marian Gilbart Read David Hall Glenn Hurstfield Sir Timothy & Lady Lloyd Janet McLeavy Catherine Roe Lady Judith Swire Richard Anwyl Williams
Iván Ayón-Rivas and Juan Francisco Gatell with Artist Benefactors Islée Oliva Salinas and Michael Buckley with Islée Salinas de Oliva
CONNOISSEUR
Ignacio Álvarez-Rendueles & Marivi Lorente Christopher FitzGerald Julien Herveau Sarah & Christopher Knight Janetta Lee∞ Christopher Leslie Jonathan & Fangmin Macdonald David Macfarlane Peter Gerald Malone Sarah Mason Lady Carolyn Newbigging David Pease Deborah Roslund Alan Sainer Lucie & Christopher Sims Joseph Valone & Michael Paul∞ and special thanks to our many Contributor and Member Friends
LIFETIME GUARDIANS Opera Rara is particularly grateful to those individuals and organisations who have been exceedingly generous and have been guardians of our work since 1970. Charles Alexander CBE Foyle Foundation Carlo Grosso Michael Hartnall Glenn Hurstfield The Monument Trust Sir Peter Moores & the Peter Moores Foundation Stefan Olsson & John Tierney Sir Simon & Lady Virginia Robertson
Ermonela Jaho with her Artist Benefactor and Opera Rara Trustee, Philip Eisenbeiss
Julieth Lozano Rolong with her Artist Benefactor Sara Naudi in the recording studio
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
BENEFACTOR
OUR THANKS
PATRONS
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OUR PEOPLE
Trustees, Patrons and Staff ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Carlo Rizzi
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Henry Little
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Charles Alexander CBE, Chairman Philip Eisenbeiss Anthony Freud OBE Glenn Hurstfield Adolfo Laurenti Bruce Mauleverer KC Simon Mortimore KC (until Dec 2025) Alison Nicol Islée Oliva Salinas Gerry Power (from Dec 2025) Marc A. Scorca (from June 2026) Terence Sinclair Nicholas Thomas
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
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David Hall (from Nov 2025) Glenn Hurstfield Islée Oliva Salinas Terence Sinclair Lucy Stout (from Nov 2025) John Tierney
STAFF
LABEL and PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Aurelie Baujean
FINANCE DIRECTOR
Irene Cook
DEVELOPMENT and COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
Zachary Vanderburg
SENIOR PHILANTHROPY MANAGER
Natasha Hastings
DEVELOPMENT and EVENTS COORDINATOR
Orlando Querobino Vas DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER
Matt Parsons
CONSULTANTS
PRESS and PR CONSULTANT
Moë Faulkner
CASTING CONSULTANT
Jesús Iglesias Noriega REPERTOIRE CONSULTANT
Roger Parker
ARTIST AMBASSADORS
Ermonela Jaho Michael Spyres
HONORARY ARTIST PATRON
Renée Fleming
DONIZETTI PATRON
H. E. Inigo Lambertini
the Italian Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Carlo Rizzi, Ermonela Jaho, Ambassador Lambertini, Henry Little and Signora Lambertini after the performance of Puccini’s La rondine Carlo Rizzi and bass-baritone Nicola Alaimo perform the final Donizetti & Friends recital at London’s Wigmore Hall, celebrating the release of Volume 8 of the Donizetti Songs Collection
Our 2026/27 Season COMING IN THE AUTUMN...
COMING IN THE SPRING...
CONCERT
SALON SERIES
CONCERT
NEW RECORDING
SALON SERIES
CONCERT
OFFENBACH
Celebrating Offenbach
Oxford International Song Festival
PUCCINI
Celebrating Tosti
MERCADANTE
4 OCTOBER 2026 THE BRIDGEWATER HALL,
6 OCTOBER 2026
MANCHESTER
The UK premiere of Offenbach's brilliantly satirical Barkouf, presented in Jean-Christophe Keck's critical edition. Performed by The Hallé and the Chorus of English National Opera under Paul Daniel, the cast is led by AnneCatherine Gillet, with Alistair McGowan narrating Jeremy Sams' English adaptation of the dialogue. In the week preceding the concert, the cast and orchestra will make the first-ever commercial recording of Barkouf, continuing Opera Rara's commitment to restoring neglected operatic masterpieces. OCT 2026
Offenbach’s Barkouf
THE NATIONAL OPERA STUDIO,
16 OCTOBER 2026
LONDON
HOLYWELL MUSIC ROOM OXFORD
The Opera Rara Salon Series comes to the National Opera Studio in a new partnership celebrating the music of Jacques Offenbach. Artists from the National Opera Studio join stars from Opera Rara's landmark recording of Barkouf for an evening of sparkling operatic gems by one of France's most inventive composers. A preconcert talk with music historian Flora Willson and conductor Paul Daniel begins at 6.15pm before the 7.30pm performance. OCT 2026
Donizetti Songs at the Oxford International Song Festival
OCT 2026
Celebrating Offenbach
OCT 2026
Argentinian baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara with renowned pianist Anna Tilbrook bring a selection of songs from Argentina, including works by Guastavino and Ginastera as well as less familiar composers. Interspersed in this recital are a selection of Donizetti songs, in which the composer’s signature gift for bel canto melody aligns with a deep sensitivity to poetic texts.
(1921 version)
OLD ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE,
30 OCTOBER, 2026
NOV 2026
LONDON
The world-premiere recording of Puccini's final 1921 version of La rondine, conducted by Carlo Rizzi and featuring Ermonela Jaho, Iván Ayón-Rivas and the BBC Symphony Orchestra with the BBC Singers. Recorded in the week preceding its acclaimed Barbican performance, this landmark release restores Puccini's most tragic vision of the opera, heard complete for the first time.
DEC 2026
5 MAY 2027 QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL,
The modern-day premiere of Mercadante's forgotten masterpiece in a new Opera Rara critical edition, unheard for more than 150 years. Conducted by Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and English National Opera Chorus, the international cast is led by Rosa Feola, Iván Ayón-Rivas and Germán Enrique Alcántara in a powerful tale of one woman’s struggle for dignity, agency and compassion.
MAY 2026
Salon Concert with Laurence Kilsby
Accademia Donizettiana at the Filarmonica Banatul
Il campo de’ crociati LONDON
Opera Rara continues its 2026/27 Salon Series with a celebration of the life and music of Paolo Tosti (1846–1916). In a new partnership with the Tosti International Singing Academy, alumni artists join pianist Anna Tilbrook for an evening of songs by Tosti and his contemporaries. A pre-concert talk with music historian Flora Willson and leading Tosti scholars explores the legacy of the composer who became singing master to the British royal family.
FEB 2027
Celebrating Tosti
Donizetti Songs at The Juilliard School
26 NOVEMBER 2026
RELEASED
NOV 2026
NOV 2026
Donizetti Songs at the Donizetti Opera Festival
La rondine 1921 Version Recording Release
La rondine
Mercadante’s Il campo de’ crociati
MARCH 2027
Donizetti Songs at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
JUNE 2027
Salon Concert with Eleonora de Prez
OUR 55TH SEASON IN REVIEW
Barkouf
OUR NEXT SEASON AT A GLANCE
AT A GLANCE
18
OPERA RARA
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= number of total award wins Photos by Russell Duncan, Simon Weir, Pau Ross, Studio U.V. - Courtesy Donizetti Opera Festival, OPER!, ICMA, and Jenny Gorman