Our story

We have a rich history dating back to 1921. For over a century, we have been entertaining audiences with our vibrant and engaging performances, showcasing the very best in vocal music and operatic productions.

Our story began as an evening class known as ‘The Kilburn Polytechnic Vocal Music Class’. Over time, the group evolved and changed its name to ‘Willesden Operatic Society’ before finally becoming Brent Opera in 1980. Since then, the company has flourished, attracting a loyal following of music enthusiasts who appreciate the high standards of our productions.

In 1998, we relocated our main performing venue from Brent Town Hall to St. Andrew’s Church in West Hampstead, where we also rehearse. This move inspired a name change, and we became Brent Opera West Hampstead, reflecting our new location while still honouring our proud heritge.

Today, we continue to stage two costumed productions each year, one in late January and the other in late June, both are equally captivating and feature double casts. Accompanied by piano or small ensemble, our shows run for four evenings and are always eagerly anticipated by our fans.

Brent has been a great company to sing with and develop opera skills - from its friendly and encouraging chorus to its young principals at the start of their professional careers, and its wide variety of directors it’s a great environment to experience all you need to enjoy doing opera and to have fun as well!

Testimonials

I joined Brent Opera in 2023 as a newbie to Opera, I joined halfway through rehearsals and was totally unpractised in singing ‘opera style’ but I needn't have been scared (I was a bit!) - the company was extremely welcoming and encouraging, and I was able to deftly hide my inability to sight read pretty well.. ahem!

The first production was Lucia Di Lammermoor during which I was completely blown away by the beauty, passion, and emotion in the performances by the principal singers – being so close to them on stage is awe-inspiring (poor Lucia!). I really enjoyed the format and the depth at which I was able to understand the opera when I was actually performing it.

Discovering Brent Opera has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Brent Opera is a vibrant, passionate community devoted to art and music, with a genuine love for opera that comes through in every production. Their enthusiasm is contagious and easily makes you fall in love with opera. The team works with an outstanding Music Director and various talented Stage Directors, each bringing fresh ideas, experience, and inspiration to the table. I feel so lucky to be part of a group driven by love and passion for bringing beautiful opera to life. It's a truly fulfilling experience.

The Musical Director, George Ireland, was good enough to give me a few one-on-one lessons to get me up to speed, and the encouragement and friendliness of the rest of the company and the director really helped me get confident with my singing and being on stage at the same time.

There are plenty of chances to improve all aspects of singing and performance as rehearsals are weekly- sometimes more - in the lead-up to productions, so it ends up becoming more and more fun as performance week gets nearer.
I heartily recommend giving it a go Brent Opera if you are in any way curious – nobody will mind if it's not for you, but if it is it will be wonderful for you to complete a performance – not many people can say they have been in an Opera you know!

~Jeremy

~Andrew

~Anne

Brent Cross Opera? Compelling productions, brilliant musicianship, enjoyable camaraderie and 100 years of experience. That says all!

~Bob

~Rogelio

Performing with Brent Opera has allowed me to work with hugely talented stage directors and music directors whilst also enjoying the friendliness of the regular members of the company. It's a lovely group to be involved with.

~Patricia

I loved singing with Brent Opera. When I was looking for a local choir I discovered Brent Opera and was immediately struck by the friendly welcome! I really enjoyed learning a Verdi opera using a score with a very talented choir-master and really enjoyed building friendships over the course of the six months. It was the first time I took part in a stage production and I absolutely loved it! The director was very accomplished and he allowed us to develop our own characters within the scenes. I can’t wait for the next one – it was a real joy to not only sing among very talented musicians but to discover an opera I wasn’t familiar with and fall in love with the music.

~Regina

I joined Brent opera almost by chance, as my work colleague suggested I join the chorus, when I had little knowledge of opera , and didn’t know if I would like it, or the acting part. Since then, it has been a joy to discover this great music, and learn to love so many famous operas. I have especially enjoyed sharing the stage with some many great soloists, who have been part of the gang and enhanced the whole experience. We have shared many laughs and moments on stage, and the audiences appear to have loved it also. I have very much enjoyed learning( hopefully) how to act and be unselfconscious on stage.Long may I continue to learn about new operas, and the joy of appearing on stage!

I greatly enjoyed taking part in 2 productions with Brent Opera. What struck me the most is a welcoming atmosphere that I felt from the very first rehearsal and no "grade-ism" between members of choir and soloists. This is important to build a true bonding between all.

~Sam