News

We’re pleased to announce that Anthony Freud OBE has joined Opera Rara’s Board of Directors. Opera Rara is one of three UK charity boards he has recently joined, alongside Opera North and Music Preserved. “I have enjoyed Opera Rara’s outstanding artistic excellence...

Our final 2024 Recording of the Month is Donizetti’s Belisario featuring Nicola Alaimo in his Opera Rara debut as Belisario, Joyce El-Khoury in her recording debut as Antonina and Camilla Roberts as Irene. Generally acknowledged to be one of Donizetti’s finest...

On Friday 22 November, the Italian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Inigo Lambertini officially awarded our Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi, the Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy, at a ceremony at the Italian Embassy in London. Rizzi received this award...

Opera Rara has a reputation for nurturing singers, providing them with opportunities for acclaimed debuts and international recognition through our studio recordings. From supporting artists on the edge of significant careers to training and developing rising talents,...

We’re happy to share the news that the first two volumes of our Donizetti Song Project cycle have received reviews from critics across Europe including Spain, France, Germany and Poland, as well as of course in the UK including coverage on BBC Radio 3’s...

30 years ago our Honorary Artist Patron Renée Fleming made her first complete opera recording with us: Donizetti’s Rosmonda d’Inghilterra. Our November Recording of the Month features David Parry and Philharmonia Orchestra. Fleming is joined by a starry...

On Saturday 2 November at 1pm GMT/2pm CET, join us for our second live stream as part of our multi-year Donizetti Song Project from London’s Wigmore Hall. Our Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi and Italian soprano Rosa Feola perform a selection of rare Donizetti songs side...

Our October Recording of the Month is Donizetti’s Rita or Deux hommes et une femme starring Christopher Maltman, Barry Banks and Katerina Karnéus. Sir Mark Elder conducts The Hallé. Released 10 years ago, Rita marked our 50th complete opera recording and was the...

We’re excited to announce today the launch of Lives in Song: our new Opera Insider series exploring musicians’ biographies through their music. In this first series, our hosts Flora Willson and Roger Parker will put the music of prolific composer Gaetano...

Opera Rara was tonight announced as Gramophone’s Label of the Year 2024. Previous winners in this category include BIS, Deutsche Grammophon, Alpha Classics, Pentatone and Harmonia Mundi. Martin Cullingford, Gramophone’s Editor stated: “There’s something unique...

Donizetti Songs Volumes 1 and 2 are now available to pre-order ahead of their official release date on 4 October. The prolific and versatile Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti was not only one of the central figures of Italian bel canto opera but also wrote around 200...

We’re delighted to announce today that both our Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi and our recording of Donizetti’s L’esule di Roma which he conducted have been nominated at this year’s International Opera Awards. Nominated in the Best Conductor and...

Our Recording of the Month is Offenbach’s Fantasio for which we won the 2015 Best Complete Opera Recording at the International Opera Awards. Perhaps one of the least known of Offenbach’s lyric works, Fantasio only received a further 10 performances after...

We’re looking to fill the role of Development and Events Coordinator starting this autumn. Working closely with the Development and Communications Director, the Development and Events Coordinator will be responsible for managing and delivering regular...

Our July Recording of the Month is Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux featuring Nelly Miricioiu as Elisabetta captured live at the Royal Opera and Ballet in 2002. The lives of British monarchs from Alfred the Great to the Tudors and Stuarts held a special fascination...

Sunday 28 July is Opera Rara’s 54th birthday, and we invite audiences worldwide to celebrate with us! Across our channels, we’re marking this milestone by releasing special content, and we have set a goal of adding 54 new supporters to our ranks in the...