History

We began in 2007, the inspiration of Marj Barton who was, at that time, High Sheriff of Tyne and Wear. As part of her commitment to music and education, Marj encouraged a group of friends and enthusiasts to put together a production of Noye's Fludde by Benjamin Britten. This was our first performance, held in Sunderland Minster.   

It became clear that there was a definite appetite for singing and opera in Sunderland. There was a need for an organisation with the capability to produce high-quality original performances.
In our first ten years we worked with nearly 3,000 participants and audience members on: 

• 4 fully staged opera productions 
• 1 commissioned opera 
• 110 public workshops/choir sessions  
• 60 school/youth group workshops  
• 20 days of 1:1 Vocal Coaching Sessions 
• 2 school performance projects  
• 4 CPD/teacher training workshops 
• 9 small scale/informal performances

Initially formed as the unincorporated association and registered charity Music in the Minster, we also became a company limited by guarantee in 2014.  In 2017 we relaunched as Opera Sunderland, reflecting our vision to establish Sunderland as a respected destination for opera.