Mascarade Opera: ‘Opera Gala Amiata’ with Nicholas Chalmers and Sinfonia Smith Square

O‘Opera Gala Amiata’ brings together thrilling operatic favourites in a celebration of passion, virtuosity and the next generation of exceptional talent in the first concert of Amiata Music’s 2026 season. Conductor Nicholas Chalmers leads the Sinfonia Smith Square Orchestra alongside outstanding soloists from Mascarade Opera in a glittering programme rooted in the Italian tradition, alongside a selection of favourites from France and Austria.

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From the bel canto brilliance of Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini to the soaring lyricism of Puccini and the effervescence of Strauss and Lehár, the evening unfolds in a sequence of showstopping arias and ensembles.

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At the heart of this gala is a commitment to artistic excellence and access for young people. Sinfonia Smith Square’s Fellowship programme nurtures promising young orchestral musicians, while Mascarade Opera provides transformative training for outstanding emerging singers. By attending ‘Opera Gala Amiata’, you are directly supporting the development of the industry’s future stars, through an evening steeped in rich operatic history.

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Nicholas Chalmers conductor

Floriana Cicio soprano

Cláudia Pereira mezzo-soprano

Garrett Evers tenor

Charles Buttigieg baritone

Sinfonia Smith Square Orchestra (in collaboration with Mascarade Opera)

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Programme:

R. Leoncavallo ‘Si può…si può’, Pagliacci

G. Rossini ‘Bel raggio lusinghier’, Semiramide

G. Donizetti ‘Una furtiva lagrima’, L’elisir d’amore

G. Donizetti ‘Il segreto per esser felice’, Lucrezia Borgia

G. Donizetti ‘Come Paride vezzoso’, L’elisir d’amore

G. Donizetti ‘Caro elisir… Esulti pur la barbara… Tran tran’, L’elisir d’amore

V. Bellini ‘Se Romeo t’uccise un figlio… La tremenda ultrice spada’, I Capuleti e i Montecchi

INTERVAL

J. Offenbach ‘Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour’, Les contes d’Hoffmann

J. Offenbach ‘Vois sous l’archet frémissant’ (Violin Aria), Les contes d’Hoffmann

G. Puccini ‘Questo amor vergogna mia’, Edgar

G. Puccini ‘Che gelida manina’, La bohème

G. Puccini ‘O soave fanciulla’, La bohème

J. Strauss ‘Ich lade gern mir Gäste ein’ (Orlofsky Aria), Die Fledermaus

F. Lehár ‘Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß’, Giuditta

F. Lehár ‘Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert’, Giuditta 

V. Bellini ‘Or dove fuggo io mai?… Ah! per sempre’, I puritani

V. Bellini ‘Son vergin vezzosa’, I puritani

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Timings:

19:00-19:40 First half

19:40-20:10 Interval

20:10-21:00 Second half