The arrival of spring means one thing – making plans for the summer, which in my case always includes an opera festival in the English countryside, merging beautiful natural landscapes with sublime music, and I probably feel more attached to The Grange Festival than any other equivalent due to having been privileged enough to attend from its inception. Located within a 3,500 acre Hampshire estate of rolling hills, fields, woodlands, lakes, rivers and water meadows, is it any wonder that world class musicians, opera singers and dancers venture to this rural idyll?
The Grange Festival not only rivals its more established counterparts such as Glyndebourne and Garsington but, with a far broader programme, could now be said to surpass them. Following a hugely successful season in 2025, this year’s festival returns from 2 June – 12 July with 26 performances and 40 artists celebrating their festival debut making it their most ambitious line-up to date.
David Geselson directs Puccini’s heartbreaking La Bohème, set in 1830s Paris and exploring love, art and friendship against a backdrop of revolution; Max Webster (Macbeth starring David Tennant) directs the traditionally-staged Eugene Onegin based on the 19th century novel of unrequited love and regret by Alexander Pushkin and set to the iconic Tchaikovsky score; and opera maestro David Alden’s new vision of Handel’s best known opera, Giulio Cesare, set under the Egyptian sun, with baroque specialist Christian Curnyn conducting the Early Opera Company and starring breakout Irish soprano, Sarah Brady as Cleopatra. These make up the three exciting new Grange Festival opera productions, while a concert performance of Mozart’s late masterpiece, La Clemenza di Tito, will be led by conductor and harpsichordist Christophe Rousset and his period ensemble Les Talens Lyriques, making their Grange Festival debuts.
Music lovers with more contemporary tastes will be delighted to hear that other concerts highlight two of the 20th century’s greatest singers; Celebrating Sinatra: John Wilson with the Sinfonia of London and acclaimed swing vocalist Matt Ford, while the genre-bending The Soul of Opera offers a unique exploration of opera, soul, and gospel’s shared DNA, inspired by Aretha Franklin’s iconic performance of Nessun Dorma and featuring, in another festival debut, conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser leading the Welsh National Opera Orchestra. This year also sees the return of Ballet Black, a London and UK-based professional ballet company for dancers of Black and Asian descent founded by Cassa Pancho OBE, with a double bill, including a UK premiere, to celebrate their 25th anniversary.
As settings for English countryside opera festivals go, there is nothing to rival the majestic Grade I-listed Greek revival mansion which houses a purpose-built RIBA Award-winning auditorium, with a 600-acre landscaped park which patron’s are encouraged to enjoy well ahead of curtain up – with fizz and pre-bookable canapes lending the feeling of a soiree to proceedings, while all productions feature a 90-minute dining interval to ensure that guests have the further opportunity of basking in this spectacular corner of Hampshire.
Besides being welcome to picnic around the grounds, reserving a seat in one of the Cedar Tree or Lakeside marquees is a shower-proof strategy where you can either enjoy a catered menu (options launch in March) or bring your own picnic, a hassle-free option thanks to the provision of table and glassware. The Grange also hosts their own restaurant, located in the mansion, during the festival, with menus celebrating the best seasonal, local produce.
The Grange, Alresford SO24 9TZ. Tickets are now on sale with an Under 36 Tickets programme offering select access to performances with tickets starting from £5 – £55. For more information and to book please visit the website.
