The first-ever Norfolk Into Opera Festival is set to launch on August 8, 2019. It will run through August 11 and feature a production of “The Elixir of Love” and an “Opera Unwrapped Gala” Concert. All performances will take place at the Octagon Barn in Norwich.

The Gala concert is set for August 9 and will feature tenor Christopher Turner and soprano Sofia Troncoso.

The Donizetti classic will be presented in an English language translation by David Parry. It will feature tenor Thomas Elwin and soprano Fleur de Bray. John Andrews conducts. Genevieve Raghu, who is the festival’s founder and artistic director, will stage the production of “The Elixir of Love” in rural Norfolk during World War I.

“We are trying to tackle head on some of the actual and perceived barriers which might prevent people from going to an opera.” said Raghu, who is also Artistic Director and Founder of the Festival, in a press release. “We want someone who has never been to an opera before to come away loving it and wanting to go again.”