Upcoming Events
From works from the classical repertory to contemporary commissions, Fermata brings stories directly to our audiences in their communities - and not the other way around.
Two stories – from the most accomplished musical storyteller of the last century.
Taken from the The Canticles, one of Britten’s most expressive series of works for the voice, Abraham and Isaac is the story of a thwarted sacrifice, testing the price we pay for loving others.
A powerful standalone cantata, Phaedra takes as its focus classical mythology’s famously lovelorn heroine, whose obsession brings her – and her family – to destruction.
Together these stories bring out the age-old complications of what it means to be in love: with ourselves, with our families, with our beloved – be it human or divine. On the fiftieth anniversary of Britten’s death, Fermata brings two of Britten’s more hidden gems to the foreground, responding to the unmissably beautiful setting of St James’s, the Parish Church of Paddington.
Past Performances
Launch Event: An Evening of the Orpheus Myth
Sunday 22nd February
London School of Philosophical and Economic Science
An enchanting evening of opera scenes, bringing to life the immortal tale of the mythological classic Orpheus and Eurydice. First told in Ovid's Metamorphosis in the eighth century, this age-old story of thwarted love has influenced composers as varied as Monteverdi, Gluck, Offenbach, and Phillip Glass.
Variously heroic, ironic, and everything in between, this choice selection of repertoire brings to life antiquity's favourite couple in their most enduring musical settings. An evening of opera scenes filled with humour, loss, power and intrigue, presented by alumni of the 2025 Waterperry Young Artist Programme.