Opera in the Orchard grew out of a dream of my father and grandfather to hold a function in the orchards and garden of Bouncers.  Over a glass or two of wine on the terrace in the company of Steve Rumsey, our next-door neighbour and a professional conductor, the dream slowly took shape and, before we knew it, Opera in the Orchard became a reality.

We had three months to find musicians, choose the opera, the singers and the production manager, and all the other things required to put on such an event.  We all had tremendous fun in the process, helped by the generosity of volunteers-namely family!

The setting for the Opera is stunning.  The terrace and lawn overlook the water meadows and the River Blackwater with Danbury in the distance. The view hasn't changed much since my grandfather built Bouncers in 1935.

Bouncers Farm is hidden away down a very narrow lane with high banks on either side, the trees forming a tunnel overhead with their arching branches.

This part of Wickham Bishops used to be a thriving apple- growing area and a few of the orchards remain today giving the lane a very rural feeling.  It is very quite, the silence broken only by the sound of birdsong, of which there are many varieties.  At night-time there are the calls of owls and occasionally the bark of a fox - it is a very special place to be, especially on a summers evening.

The first production of Opera in the Orchard was " La Serva Padrona" by Pergolessi, followed by "The Telephone" by Minotti. It was on the 2nd Saturday of July 2001.

At 5pm the cars started arriving and they kept on coming right up to the first bars of the opera.  The gardens were a mass of activity with the babble of voices and laughter, the sound of popping champagne corks, clinking glasses and delicious aromas coming from the splendid varieties of picnics being laid out on linen covered tables, picnic rugs or knees - friends meeting friends, old acquaintances being rekindled, the wonderful feeling of a special evening with the informality of being among friends, and through it all the air of expectant excitement as we waited for the opera to begin.

The operettas were enjoyed by all age groups, including the children who lay on their stomachs at the front, chins propped up by their hands and eyes glued to the opera unfolding before them.

There were encouraging comments from the audience and hopes that another opera would be held at Bouncers the following year ..........................

Since then Opera in the Orchard has produced two more operas,  "The Tragedy of Carmen" and "Don Pasquale", they were received equally enthusiastically. This year on  9th & 10th July 2005, in collaboration with Hand made opera we will be performing "The Barber of Seville".

As last year the musicians and singers are all of very high standard, many having been engaged at venues such as Glynbourne, Garsington as well as internationally.  This promises to be another spectacular evening, all the more so if the weather is as good or better than previous years.

link to the community site at the beehive

community website for totham area