Bradford Opera Festival is set to premiere a new adaptation of Rossini’s most famous opera on Nov. 23, 2023.

The showcase of “The Barber of Seville” will present the opera classic in Yorkshire dialect as adapted by Ian McMillan. The event will feature the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra and Bradford Festival Choral Society with Alex Chisholm directing and Ben Crick conducting.

“I am really excited to be adapting ‘The Barber of Seville’ into Yorkshire dialect because it is an opera that was just made for the poetic tones of The Sublime Tyke Talk,” McMillan said in an official press statement.

Audiences will hear baritone Oscar Castellino as Figaro; mezzo-soprano Felicity Buckland as Rosina; Shipley tenor Joseph Doody as Count Almaviva; Bradford bass-baritone Julian Close as Basilio; and Ukrainian Soprano, who now resides in Bradford, Milana Sarukhanyan as Bertha.

Additionally, this showcase represents the opening of the first-ever Bradford Opera Festival.

“Six years in the making, we are delighted to be presenting the first-ever Bradford Opera Festival. And Ian McMillan’s version of The Barber of Seville is the perfect piece to start with – Yorkshire to the core, it has love, marriage, class, rebellion, and some great tunes. Alongside new work popping up all over Bradford, and opportunities to get involved, The Barber of Seville really has something for everyone,” said Chisholm.

The festival will also feature pop-up performances of “Perfume” by Kamal Kaan and Alya Al-Sultani and “The Last Gift” by Ben Crick and Khadijah Imbrahiim.