Hurn Court Opera

17/08/2026

Are you signed up to the Hurn Court Opera mailing list? We promise not to spam your inbox with tons of emails, but we will make sure you stay informed about all our latest news and the fantastic events we have coming up.

Looking ahead to the autumn we have our Prizewinners' Recitals, the HCO Singer of the Year Competition and our ever-popular Christmas concert. Subscribing to the mailing list means you will always be the first to know what's going on.

As a registered arts charity, HCO receives no public funding and relies on ticket sales, fundraising, donations and the generous support of our Friends and Patrons. So you may find that once in a while we also update you on how your support is providing career-changing opportunities to rising opera stars. With your help, we can ensure these talented young singers get the experience and recognition they deserve.

You can join our mailing list at the link in the comments section ⭐️

06/08/2026

Join the Hurn Court Opera team! We are currently seeking a Chair of Trustees to join our small but passionate Management Committee of four trustees, three board-level volunteers and a marketing contractor. The HCO family also includes our President, international opera star Sir Simon Keenlyside, approx 30 generous Patrons and 80 Friends and, currently, a volunteer professional fundraiser.

With a reputation for high quality performance by the opera stars of tomorrow, HCO aims to maintain its leading position in the Hampshire, Dorset and South Wiltshire area and strengthen its financial stability. Our new Chair of Trustees will lead the organisation through the next stage of its development, with a particular focus on these aims.

If this sounds like you, we'd love to chat - click the link the comments section to find more information on the role and the charitable and artistic aims of Hurn Court Opera.

Photo: Alexander Kabanov Photographer

03/08/2026

Wondering what music we have in store for you at this autumn's Prizewinners' Recitals? Well wonder no more!

Our two recitalists, Quito Clothier (tenor) and Will Prior (countertenor) will perform a beautiful and varied programme accompanied by Matthew Clemmet on piano.

Here's the line up for our events at St Paul's Church, Wi******er on 26 September and Merley House, Wimborne on 27 September. Do you have any favourites? We'd love to know what you're looking forward to hearing!⭐️

You can discover more about the recitals and book your tickets - following the link in the comments section.

15/07/2026

Our September recitals are now ON SALE, bringing you the opportunity to hear two of the incredible prizewinners from our 2025 HCO Singer of the Year Competition!

Quito Clothier (tenor), winner of the Sarah Harrison prize, and Will Prior (countertenor), winner of the Anthony Lowrey Audience Prize and Roger Higgins Second Prize, will be accompanied by Matthew Clemmet on piano.

The recitals take place in the beautiful settings of St Paul’s Church, Wi******er on 26 September and Merley House, Wimborne on 27 September - early booking is advised!

Special thanks to Jackie St Johanser and The Arts Society Wimborne and Blandford for their generous sponsorship of these events.

HCO relies on donations, sponsorship and fundraising to continue its work providing up and coming young singers with performance and training opportunities. With your help, we play an important role in nurturing the opera stars of the future - so make sure you join us to hear how your support is helping launch the careers of Quito, Will and many others like them.

For more information and how to book visit:

https://www.hurncourtopera.org/prizewinners-recitals

29/06/2026

Starting the week with news of an exciting opportunity!

We're looking for a volunteer fundraiser to help strengthen our financial base and develop Hurn Court Opera's future as an arts charity.

Our ideal candidate will be experienced in sourcing, bidding for and winning grants and donations across a range of funding routes, with grant-awarding trusts and web-based campaigns, such as crowd-funding.

You should also be able to build funding by developing new and existing private and commercial networks, working with our trustees, our patrons and our friends.

Your work as a fundraiser will support the development of young opera singers as they embark on their professional careers. Your success will also help build audiences for opera in areas where there is limited or no exposure to professional opera performance, by enabling HCO to offer tickets at affordable prices.

This is a part-time, primarily home-based role, with occasional requirement to attend meetings (usually in Wimborne, Dorset) or attend our performances. Time commitment will vary depending on your availability and our needs.

You find full information here - if you're interested in joining our small but passionate team we'd love to hear from you!

https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/opp/fundraiser-arts-charity

22/06/2026

⭐️⭐️Great news! ⭐️⭐️ If you didn't get to see La Traviata earlier this year or would simply like to relive the whole breathtaking experience you can now watch our highlights video.

In fact, if you explore our YouTube channel further you will find highlights from all our previous operas including La Cenerentola, Don Giovanni, La Bohème and many more.

What a wonderful way to start the week! 🎶

Excerpts from Hurn Court Opera's acclaimed production of Verdi's La...

14/06/2026

Our three wonderful singers for The John Seldon Masterclass - Samuel Horton (tenor), Joyce Wong (soprano) and Alex Hardy (bass baritone) with Francesca Lauri (piano), HCO Music Director, Lynton Atkinson and Artistic Director, Joy Robinson.

14/06/2026

We’re here at Merley House this afternoon for The John Seldon Masterclass. The weather is glorious and we couldn’t ask for a more beautiful setting and acoustics for our young vocalists!

08/06/2026

Ever wondered what it's like to train as an opera singer? Our inspiring classical singing masterclass this Sunday gives you the opportunity to find out, as three promising young performers work through a programme of music under the expert guidance of HCO's Musical Director, Lynton Atkinson and Artistic Director, Joy Robinson.

The masterclass offers a valuable opportunity to observe the development of young vocal talent and aims to share with singers and audience alike the vocal, dramatic and artistic responses that inform casting and performance decisions in HCO's stage productions.

Our three fabulous vocalists this week are Samuel Horton (Tenor), Joyce Wong (Soprano) and Alex Hardy (Bass Baritone) - you can find out more about them and book for this weekend's masterclass here: https://www.hurncourtopera.org/johnseldonmasterclass-2025

17/05/2026

⭐️ON SALE NOW!⭐️

Make sure you book early for our upcoming John Seldon Masterclass at the link below.

Hurn Court Opera's Artistic Director Lynton Atkinson and Director Joy Robinson will work with a selected group of emerging young artists in front of a live audience in the elegant surroundings of the Music Room at Merley House, Wimborne.

This is an exciting opportunity to see how Lynton and Joy work with rising singers to equip them for castings and live performance and will give the audience a wider insight into why we cast the way we do for our opera productions. In addition, you'll learn what is required from performers to make it through the first round of our highly-acclaimed singers competition, which takes place in November.

Whether you are a seasoned opera aficionado, a curious music lover or a student interested in entering the competition later in the year, this will be an entertaining afternoon packed with fascinating insights and beautiful music. We hope you can join us! www.ticketsource.com/hurn-court-opera