The Cumbria Opera Festival has unveiled its 2023 lineup, which will include a range of operas and educational workshops and three fully staged operas and the creation of a Cumbria Community Chorus.

There will also be a Young Composers’ Competition, with the winning composition performed at the “Cumbrian Opera & Song” event. As part of the festival, “Opera Highlights” concerts will embark on a county-wide tour.

Kicking things off is Poulenc’s “La Voix Humaine” and Schumann’s “Frauenliebe und -leben,” starring Sofia Kirwan-Baez and directed by Jonathan Danciger.

Performance Date: Aug. 26 & 27 at Penrith Playhouse

“Opera Highlights” Concerts feature music by Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, and Britten.

Performance Date: Aug. 27 at St Mary’s Church, Dalton-in-Furness; Aug. 28 at Appleby Public Hall; and Aug. 29 at Tithe Barn, Carlisle.

The flagship opera of the festival, Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” comes to the Grange for three performances.

Performance Date: Aug. 30, 31 & Sept. 2 at Victoria Hall, Grange-over-Sands. 

A Masterclass with soprano Joan Rodgers CBE returns to her hometown to lead a masterclass.

Performance Date: Sept. 1 at St Bees’ Priory, Whitehaven

Cumbrian Opera & Song celebrates Cumbrian composers, poets, and the influence Cumbria has had on opera.

Performance Date: Sept. 2 at Kendal Town Hall