Welcome to the website of Bampton Classical Opera

Bampton Classical Opera was founded in 1993 by its artistic directors, Gilly French and Jeremy Gray.

Our well-established national reputation is founded on a policy of breathing new life into little-known works of the classical period, in lively and accessible productions of exceptional musical standards, with the best of the country’s young singers. We always perform in English and are committed to relaxed, informal opera at affordable prices.

Next event – Handel’s Apollo e Dafne BOOK NOW

italian girl performance

Ploughing a jovial furrow of forgotten 18th-century repertoire, and in the process unearthing some real gems like Stephen Storace’s Comedy of Errors, Portugal’s Marriage of Figaro and Soler’s La capricciosa corretta, and performing them in an idyllic Oxfordshire deanery garden for some of the best ticket-prices available in England, Bampton has punched far above its weight in giving a first break to singers and conductors who now have world reputations.
Opera Now

The epitome of opera in a garden
The Times

'There isn’t a company in England with as sharp a sense of fun as Bampton. Season after season they dig up rare gems, served up with canny wit, visual deftness and a musical spring that make them
one of the high pleasures of an English summer '
Opera Now

Patrons: The Rt Hon David Cameron MP, Lady Goodhart, Brian Kay, Sir Philip Ledger, Dame Felicity Lott,
Lady Mackerras, Sir Roger Norrington, Andrew Parrott, David Pountney

A member of the Opera and Music Theatre Forum

All material © Bampton Classical Opera Ltd 1994 - 2011 unless otherwise credited. All rights reserved. The information in this site is provided in good faith and is believed to be correct. No liability is accepted, however, express or implied, for any consequences arising from the use of this information or from errors therein.