Puccini’s opera tells the story of 15 year old Cio-Cio-San who, against her family’s wishes, marries an American naval officer called Pinkerton. He only marries her for ‘convenience’ and intends to find a ‘proper’ American wife on his return to the U.S. Butterfly does not know this though, and waiting for him to return, bears him a son. Three long years pass, until Pinkerton returns, with his American wife and tragedy swiftly ensues.
This year’s Bayham opera sees the return of Heritage Opera, who came to us in 2018 and again last year.
Formed in 2006 by the conductor Chris Gill, Heritage Opera were founded with the aim of presenting chamber operas in period costume in stately homes across the north of England. The operas were sung either in their original languages with subtitles or in English versions translated specially for the company.
Taken from our FAQ
Is there any special information that I should know for the concert at Bayham?
Yes.
- There is no dress code for the event. Please come as formal or informal as you wish
- LMF do not provide food or drinks. The audience is welcome to bring their own drinks and picnics
- The gates open at 5.30pm and the concert begins at 7.30pm.
- The concert consists of two halves, each of around 55 minutes. There will be an interval of 30 minutes and the opera should finish around 10pm
- There is an area directly in front of the stage where we place between 100 and 150 chairs, and this area is kept picnic free
- The audience can arrive from 5.30pm and are invited to bring folding chairs, tables (if required) and picnics. These can be set up anywhere outside the main seating area
- The audience can move into the main seating area once their picnics are finished, using their own chairs (space permitting) or the LMF chairs provided. Alternatively, you are more than welcome to stay outside the main seating area, enjoy the concert and continue your picnic during the interval
- The concert will be amplified so everybody should be able to easily hear
- The LMF would appreciate the audience taking their own litter home with them
- We have use of a field next to Bayham for car parking and this is no more than a 100 metre walk to the Abbey. Car parking marshals and stewards will be in attendance on the day. If you have any disability issues, please mention this on arrival, and you will be shown to a disable parking area that is closer to Bayham.
- There will be a ticket desk at the entrance. Tickets may be available on the day
- If it does rain, then umbrellas are allowed. Under these circumstances, please be aware of other guests
- If it rains too heavily for the singers and the musicians to perform, then the event will be cancelled. We would hope to be able to do this prior to the event and would notify everybody via email if that were to be the case. In this instance a full refund of the ticket price will be made
- It will get chilly by 10pm, so please bring a blanket or warm clothing even if it looks very sunny and bright at 5pm
