Saturday18th October saw a celebration of anniversaries at St John's, Southbourne.
Opera Comique was marking the start
of their 50th year, having been formed in 1976 for a concert
in Portsmouth Guildhall, since when performances of the
Gilbert & Sullivan operas have been given in the Hampshire
and Sussex area, with overseas visits to the USA, Germany,
Finland and notably Venice where The Gondoliers was
performed twice.Full details of our history may be found at
www.operacomique.org.uk
. The 18th October concert opened
with 'Trial by Jury, on its 150th anniversary, followed by
selections from the most popular
operettas 'HMS Pinafore', The Mikado', 'Pirates of Penzance'
and ' The Gondoliers', with soloists from past Opera Comique
productions, many of whom had been founder members !
The event was also meant to mark a
significant birthday for me, but the day before I was hit by
a virus which put me out of action for a week H However, the
show went on successfully, with Denise Baugh and Geoff
Porter taking over conducting duties, aided by accompanist
Nigel Smith, a founder trustee. My sincere thanks to them
and Opera Comique members who pulled things together with
the usual efficient support of Mike and Gill Prosser from
the church.
I am delighted to report that over
£500 was raised from a large and enthusiastic audience - all
proceeds going to refurbishment of the church organ. There
will be further musical events during 2026, notably to mark
the 150 anniversary of St Johns church itself in May !
Kevin Sivyer
Founder, Trustee of
Opera Comique

