From Bedford to the Underworld: Young Opera Stars Take Centre Stage

At the University Theatre, the curtain rises this week on something more than a typical community theatre production. Audiences will experience a professional-grade musical produced by Bedfordshire Youth Opera, an organisation that has supported young people in Bedford since 1981.

This year’s production is Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. True to Bedfordshire Youth Opera’s reputation, the show promises plenty of energy, humour and impressive vocal precision.

Bedfordshire Youth Opera has received acclaim for its previous productions. Recent summer performances have included Massenet’s Cendrillon (2023), Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas alongside Kurt Weill’s Down in the Valley (2024), and Dove’s The Enchanted Pig (2025).

For this year’s cast, aged between 14 and 26, the weeks surrounding the production will be filled with rehearsals and performances. Each year, between 30 and 50 young singers and musicians come together to learn, rehearse and perfect a fully staged opera.

The organisation has also helped develop performers such as Rachel Nicholls and Simon Bailey, both of whom have gone on to become widely acclaimed professionals.

To achieve such a high standard, Bedfordshire Youth Opera combines young talent with an experienced creative team. The performers work alongside directors, conductors and set designers and are treated as professionals rather than students. The experience provides young people with an opportunity to develop their skills while gaining an insight into the world of professional opera.

Alessandro Felice, co-director of Bedfordshire Youth Opera, spoke about the organisation’s lasting importance to the local community:

“BYO is an important addition to the performing arts provision for young people in the local community – it enriches the options available to them in the creative arts and introduces a whole new world of performance that they otherwise may never have experienced! BYO has been the place that many of our alumni who are now professional opera singers first discovered the art form and their passion for it!”

Experience the energy, humour and vocal precision of Orpheus in the Underworld this week. The production runs from 26 to 29 August at the University Theatre.

For ticket bookings, performance times and more information about supporting Bedfordshire Youth Opera’s ongoing work, visit its official website or contact the box office directly.