Iford Arts Festival

Iford Arts Festival is an annual summer festival of opera and jazz, held at venues in and near Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire, England. Operas are produced by Iford Festival Opera. It also features the Iford Jazz Proms, as well as other concerts and performances.[2]

The Cloisters at Iford Manor; in the centre is a well-head from Aquilegia, Italy[1]
The Great Terrace at Iford Manor

Beginning in the 1980s, the festival was held in the gardens of Iford Manor, a house dating from the 15th or 16th centuries, about 2 miles southwest of Bradford-on-Avon. With repairs needed to the cloisters at the gardens, and the festival having outgrown the relatively small venue, in 2019 the festival moved to the grounds of Belcombe Court on the western edge of Bradford-on-Avon. The festival is run by Iford Arts Limited, a registered charity set up in 2002.[3][4]

Opera productions are small-scale,[5] the cloisters at Iford Manor having a seating capacity of 90.[6] At Belcombe Court, operas take place in a specially commissioned geodesic dome[7] for an audience of 240. The 2019 season opened with two nights at the banqueting room of Bath's Guildhall.[7]

The festival's founder was Judy Eglington,[8] the artistic director of Iford Arts.[6] Annual concerts in the cloisters started in the 1980s; the first opera was given in 1993, and the first fully staged opera in 1995.[8] Touring opera companies which have been particularly associated with the festival include Opera della Luna,[9] Opera Project,[6] and Early Opera Company.[10]

See also

References
  1. Historic England. "The Cloisters (1021878)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  2. White, Hannah (2 January 2013). "Looking forward to festivals in 2013". Salisbury Journal. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  3. "Iford Arts Limited, registered charity no. 1091312". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  4. "Iford Arts Limited: Trustees' Report 2019". Charity Commission. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  5. Christiansen, Rupert (18 May 2013). "Opera festivals 2013: complete guide". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  6. "Country House Opera". Country Life. 9 July 2004. Archived from the original on 17 July 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  7. "History". Iford Arts. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  8. White, Anna (May 2013). "Making Music in Paradise". Bath Magazine. p. 22. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  9. "Three operas at Iford are selling quickly". Express & Echo. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  10. Riley, Paul (27 July 2012). "Don't miss Iford Opera: Susanna". Bristol Evening Post. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
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