An outdoor stage and seating for up to 650 people will be built for the Leicestershire Opera Festival in order to accommodate ongoing Coronavirus restrictions. 

Nevill Holt Opera hosts the festival in June each year, with this year’s being pushed back to August in what is being called “its most ambitious undertaking yet.”

To have the best chance of staging its planned 2021 performances, they have made the decision to build the outdoor stage which will be covered for all weather conditions. It is hoped that they will be able stage Verdi’s La Traviata and Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

There will be open covered seating to accompany the stage, or patrons can also choose to sit on the lawn. The accompanying orchestra will be socially distanced. 

Managing Director Annie Lydford said: "We are all invigorated to be presenting our largest and most-inclusive festival yet despite the challenges of last year. We felt strongly, at this time when people crave brilliant live experiences perhaps more than ever, that reducing our capacity and raising our prices simply wasn’t an option.

"We recognise the responsibility we have to ensure the communities we serve across the East Midlands can continue to enjoy fantastic performances with us this summer."

The main festival will run from 4-25 August and under 18’s will be able to attend for free, with the lowest price tickets being reduced to £35.

In its usual festival slot in June, Nevill Holt will be hosting a series of chamber music and solo recitals. 

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