Bampton Classical Opera has announced its 2021 season, with a focus on exploring the neglected works of Christoph Willard Gluck.

First will be a concert staging of “The Crown,” which will be the first time the work has been performed in the UK since 1987. Composed in 1765 for the birthday celebration of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I, it was abandoned due to the emperor’s death in October of the same year.

Early music specialist and conductor Robert Howarth will make his debut with Bampton and leads a cast comprised of sopranos Harriet Eyley, Samantha Louis-Jean, Lisa Howarth, and Lucy Anderson. They will perform at St. John’s Smith Square and at the University Church in Oxford.

Performance Dates: May 18, 22, 2021

In July, Bampton will present “Paris and Helen,” having intended to do so last year in celebration of the opera’s 250^th anniversary.

With a new English translation by Gilly French, the staged production will be directed by Jeremy Gray, and Thomas Blunt will conduct the chorus as well as sopranos Louis-Jean, Anderson, Howarth, and Lauren Lodge-Campbell. They will perform at The Deanery Garden in Bampton on July 23 and 24, The Orangery Theatre in Gloucestershire, on August 30, and St. John’s Smith Square in London on September 24.

Performance Dates: July 23-24; August 30; September 24, 2021

In November, Bampton will hold the finals of their Young Singers’ Competition 2021, with the competition open to all singers aged 21-32. The biennial competition was launched to discover and support emerging singers and accompanists in the UK, with previous winners including Anna Starushkevych, Emma Stannard, Lucy Anderson, and Galina Averina.

Performance Dates: November 28, 2021