Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival 2024 presents a lineup that spans across multiple timelines and realities to resonate with new audiences

The eclectic programme includes confessions in a nail salon (The Manicurist), a tale of a horse-person (Horse Person Opera), groundbreaking and malevolent historic discoveries (Ciphers and Aqua Tofana), experiments of endurance and improvisation (12HOURS and The Improvesarios), and true accounts of generational legacies and trauma (I Shot Mussolini and Letters). 

Shows will take place at The Cockpit Theatre, Marylebone, with the exception of festival-opener The Prisoner (24 August), which takes place at the Royal College of Music’s Britten Theatre, 12HOURS at King’s College, London (20 September), and #CAPITAL, which exists only in cyberspace…

Tête à Tête has commissioned, produced and premiered over 100 operas, giving work to many hundreds of opera makers. It has also hosted, mentored, and empowered others to make almost 600 new operas in their annual festival.

In keeping with its ethos to celebrate the opera community, Tête à Tête will also host a free mid-festival sector event, ‘The Joy of Opera’ (23 September) which will explore the creative possibilities of opera. Anyone from the stage, behind the scenes and out of the offices, freelancer or full-time, will be welcome to leave spreadsheets and business plans at the door.  

Tête à Tête also welcomes an overwhelming amount of new creatives, as well as returning artists such as Will Gardner, Rosie Middleton and Edward Lambert. With a majority from outside London, a number of the productions have also travelled overseas for the Festival from Canada, Portugal, France, Mexico, and Italy.

Lived experiences and generational stories prevail this year, with shows highlighting mental health and the power of both community and the individual. Tête à Tête makes, and helps others to make opera, with love, for anyone.

The full programme for the 2024 Festival and links to tickets can be found HERE – tickets at The Cockpit Theatre are Choose What You Pay –£6.50, £17.50 or £29.50.