Bampton Classical Opera is an exciting small opera company with a national reputation for its passionate and enlightened discoveries of rare late 18th-century operas, sung in lively new English translations. The company stages productions at Bampton, Oxfordshire and Westonbirt School, Gloucestershire as well as regularly in London at St John’s Smith Square.  Amongst these have been UK premières of Bertoni Orfeo, Isouard Cendrillon, Marcos Portugal The Marriage of Figaro, Paer Leonora, Benda Romeo and Juliet, Gluck Il Parnaso confuso, Bauci e Philemon, Salieri Falstaff.  Bampton provides performance opportunities for the finest young singers and has a biennial Young Singers’ Competition.

"Britain's unchallenged champion of 18th-century opera." Opera Now, 2018

Bampton's production of Stephen Storace Bride and Gloom was shortlisted in the Rediscovered Opera category for the 2020 International Opera Awards and their staging of Salieri At the Venice Fair was shortlisted in the same category in the 2023 Awards.

​

This season Bampton Classical Opera will stage the first production in modern times of Giuseppe Gazzaniga’s L’isola d’Alcina, with a libretto by Giovanni Bertati. It will be sung in a new English translation by Gilly French as ‘Alcina’s Island’.  Performances will be conducted by Thomas Blunt and directed by Jeremy Gray. The company will also present Haydn's ’The Apothecary’ at this year's Dorchester Festival.