YORK Opera will follow up last October's staging of Bizet’s Carmen at York Theatre Royal with a very different style of opera for their May production.

The Marriage Of Figaro will be presented at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, from May 9 to 11, but because Mozart's work does not require a large chorus, York Opera has decided to put together A Night At The Opera, a concert of great opera choruses, solos and ensembles, using the full company, on April 11 and 13.

The first of these 7.30pm performances will take place at the Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, with tickets on sale on 01904 630658 or by emailing tickets@yorkopera.org; the second at St. Oswald’s Church, Main Street, Fulford, with tickets available on 07963001478 or 07851950192.

A Night At The Opera will take a journey through European opera with items from French, English, German, Austrian and Italian operas. The chorus will be conducted by Tim Selman, assisted by Pauline Marshall, and soloists will include several of the 'Figaro' cast: Heather Watts, Annabel van Griethuysen, Rebecca Smith, Ben Noble, Ian Thomson-Smith and Mark Simmons.

Solo arias also will be sung by Alex Davison, Anthony Gardner and soprano Alison Wray, making her return to York Opera as a guest artist, and the piano accompanists will be Tim Tozer and James Sanderson.

Ian Thompson-Smith and Heather Watts, both of whom are singing in our concerts and are also The Count and Countess Almaviva in ‘The Marriage of Figaro’