Performer: English Touring Opera

Divorced from Cavalleria rusticana, English Touring Opera’s contemporary take on Leoncavallo’s masterpiece ticks all the boxes.

L'elisir d'amore may not immediately bring Skegness or Romney to mind, but ETO's new production works quite well there... just look out for the seagulls!

Eloise Lally shifts the Romeo and Juliet love story into New York mafia families. Jessica Cale and Samantha Price provide blissful bel canto as the star-crossed lovers.

ETO kicks off its spring season with What Dreams May Come, a strange and moving staging of songs inspired by William Shakespeare.

Judith Weir's cryptic folk opera lacks the narrative propulsion necessary to enthral an audience, and without resolution there is no catharsis.

Olivia Fuchs’ production of Rimsky-Korsakov's charming fable for ETO begins its tour in Hackney and is worth travelling to see. Catch this thoughtful production in a town near you.

Buffetted from symphonies, opera and ballet to West End musicals, film scoring sessions, and maybe even Glastonbury, the life of the freelance musician can be as chaotic as it is thrilling.

Performances by English Touring Opera and the London Philharmonic Orchestra are the highlights of an autumn season at Saffron Hall with a distinctly theatrical vibe – alongside major Baroque and chamber offerings.

In their 10th anniversary year, Saffron Hall continues to boast the cream of British orchestral and chamber talent – and some outstanding international visitors too.