ON the back of the success of Bizet's Carmen at York Theatre Royal in October, York Opera members are straight back into rehearsals for two Christmas concerts in York.

These will take place at the Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, on December 14 at 7.30pm and at Lidgett Grove Methodist Church the next afternoon at 3pm.

York Opera's next staged production will be Mozart’s The Marriage Of Figaro at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, in May 2019. Auditions will be held on January 8 and 9; anyone interested in auditioning for a solo role should contact York Opera on 01423 330469 for more details.

Here, the Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Keith Orrell, and the civic party are pictured meeting Carmen cast members and the production team at the Theatre Royal.

"York Opera’s productions are always community events, drawing on musical and stage expertise from around the region, and none more so than Carmen, involving as it did more than100 participants on stage or in the orchestra, comprising 50 singers, 16 children, eight extras and 34 orchestral players," says publicist Pauline Marshall.

"On the Thursday during the Carmen run – a night off for York Opera – the stage was taken over by 30 instrumentalists in the York R.I. Band, who presented an evening of American music.

"York Opera and the York R.I. Band are proud to support York Theatre Royal’s commitment to the performing arts in the community."