Handel Opera Studio
In 2023, the London Handel Festival launched the Handel Opera Studio, an exciting initiative which aims to place Handel’s dramatic works at the heart of the Festival’s programme.
The Handel Opera Studio is rapidly gaining a reputation for presenting Handel’s lesser-known dramatic works in bold and innovative ways in non-traditional spaces.
In 2023 the Studio presented In the Realms of Sorrow at Stone Nest, directed by Adele Thomas; in 2024 Aci by the River, a daring new production of Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, directed by Jack Furness at Trinity Buoy Wharf; and in 2025 Tales of Apollo and Hercules, directed by Thomas Guthrie in collaboration with New English Ballet Theatre at Shoreditch Town Hall.
Handel’s operas are some of the most widely produced compositions in the UK, and in order to differentiate from other companies and opera houses, HOS will put innovation and collaboration at the core of each production. Unable to match the resources of large houses such as the Royal Opera House, Opera North, English National Opera or Glyndebourne, the Handel Opera Studio’s ambition is to be the leading light in new interpretations of rarely performed works, focusing on engaging and intimate performances in unique venues.
