St Mary's Calne hosts dazzling evening of opera

St Mary's Calne Musicians were honoured to perform at a fundraising Opera Gala evening recently in the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, alongside operatic artists, Neal Davies and Osian Wyn Bowen.
Scaramanga Photography
St Mary's Musicians at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford
February 10, 2022

On the evening of Thursday 20th January, the Concert Artists of St Mary’s Calne staged their ‘Opera Gala’ within the historic surroundings of Oxford’s magnificent Sheldonian Theatre.

A spectacular evening of operatic highlights began with pre-concert drinks in the Theatre’s atmospheric Attic where Sir Christopher Wren’s building could be appreciated.

Parents and supporters then enjoyed a programme from the world of opera, with pupils treading the boards alongside Grammy award-winning international operatic artists, Neal Davies and Osian Wyn Bowen.

Opera Ensemble, Chamber Choir, Junior and Senior Consorts, Orchestra and LIV (Year 7) Choir created the music for this fifth concert in the school’s highly successful Cantabile Series, led by Director of Vocal Studies, Bethan Dudley Fryar.

Charity was at the heart of the event to raise funds for music bursaries at St Mary’s.

Captivating performances from the operatic world included Offenbach’s Barcarolle, the jaunty Gandarmes' duet and Puccini’s evergreen classic from Gianni Schicchi, Oh my Beloved Father.

The evening culminated in a Grand Finale involving all performers in a special arrangement of Brother Mine from Die Fledermaus which raised the roof!

Current parent and trustee of The Calne Foundation Trust, Andrew Aylwin, gave a moving closing address.

The event raised over £14,000 for music bursaries, meaning that 438 individual music lessons will be made available to girls who would otherwise not be able to access such high quality, one-to-one, music learning.

The pupils appreciated being involved in such a special evening, with Elowen in Year 11 commenting: "There was a moment during the concert when I realised I was one of the few in the world to have this amazing opportunity, and I was so grateful for it."

Read more about this story at

St Mary's Calne is an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Calne, Wiltshire. It is part of a foundation with neighbouring prep school, St Margaret's Prep. Find out more about St Mary's Calne.