TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Opera on the Test returns to Houghton Lodge Gardens for 2025. Enjoy a sublime evening of music with the idyllic backdrop of the River Test. The incredibly talented Alexandra Heath, Ilan Kurtser and Harry Ross will take you on a musical journey through some of opera’s most well-known songs. Relax and enjoy beautiful renditions of popular works by Mozart, Schubert, Britten, and many more.
Make it a night to remember and pre-order one of our spectacular Kingfisher Hampers to enjoy on the riverbank. With a selection of sandwiches, savory snacks, sweet treats, and a bottle of wine, it’s the perfect accompaniment. You’ll find a special discount code in your ticket confirmation email.
This exclusive event has limited tickets, so we highly recommend booking early to avoid disappointment.
THE STARS OF THE SHOW
Alexandra Heath
Alexandra Heath is a recent graduate of the Royal Academy of Music (under Mary Nelson).
Recently, Alexandra made her professional German debut at the Rheinsberg Kammeroper Sommerfest as Phénice in Piccini’s ‘Didon’. She returned to Rheinsberg in Easter 2025 as Tamiri in Mozart’s Il Re Pastore. Other highlights include being a prize winner at the Bolko von Hochberg International Lied Competition in Poland in the summer of 2024 and her debut with the Cinematic Orchestra of London in 2024.
As a recitalist, Alexandra has performed internationally and recently released her first album credit, singing Stravinsky songs for soprano and orchestra conducted by Barbara Hannigan.
She sang the National Anthem for England Women’s Rugby matches at Twickenham Stadium in Spring 2024.
Alexandra won first place in the Edith Poulsen Prize at the North London Music Festival. She is the Yorkshire Music Future Fund second prize winner at the Aldeburgh New Voices competition and also competed in the final of the Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards at Wigmore Hall in June 2023.
In 2021, Alexandra made her debut at Opera Holland Park, performing the roles of Gretel and the Dew Fairy in Hänsel und Gretel for Silent Opera and British Youth Opera. She sang the solos in Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music with Southbank Sinfonia, conducted by Dame Jane Glover at St John’s Smith Square.
Ilan Kurtser
Ilan Kurtser is a Britten-Pears Young Artist, Samling Artist, and Leeds Lieder Young Artist. He has won numerous prizes in competitions both in the UK and abroad, including First Prize at the Copenhagen International Lied Duo Competition, the Kathleen Ferrier Awards Accompanist Prize, and the Bampton Classical Opera Competition Accompanist Prize. Ilan was a finalist at the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition 2024 together with baritone Jonathan Eyers.
Ilan was a Bicentenary Scholar at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied Piano Accompaniment with Michael Dussek, James Baillieu, and Malcolm Martineau. As part of his Bicentenary Scholarship, he is recording his debut CD of the complete Goethe-Lieder by Hugo Wolf.
Concert highlights have included recitals with Gweneth Ann Rand and Stephen Whitford at the Aldeburgh Festival, with violist Paul Silverthorne at the Museo del Violino in Cremona, Italy, and with mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston at the Leeds Lieder Festival. He has also performed at Wigmore Hall, the International Lied Festival Zeist, Sage Gateshead, Leeds Victoria Hall, and the Jerusalem Music Centre.
Ilan was a Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music, where he curated over 20 concerts for the Academy Song Circle and Academy Voices concert series, teaching and coaching singers and pianists. Ilan is currently a répétiteur for the Royal Academy Opera.
harry ross
After Downside School, Henry Ross won a scholarship to London’s Royal Academy of Music, graduating with First Class Honours and the Toni V Fell Prize in 2020. As a Royal Academy Bach soloist, his Wigmore Hall debut was singing Cantata 22 (Podger), followed by the St John Passion (Herreweghe).
He pursued post-graduate studies with Richard Berkeley-Steele and James Baillieu and then at Royal Academy Opera, performing roles such as Albert Herring, Lurcanio (Ariodante), Edward Milfort (La cambiale di matrimonio), and Sellem (The Rake’s Progress).
International debuts include Evangelist (St Matthew Passion) with The Bach Choir and Orchestra of The Netherlands, Arias (St Matthew Passion) with Philips’ Philharmonisch Koor, and Acis (Acis and Galatea) with the NDR Radiofilharmonie (McGegan).
Other engagements include Acis (Ryedale Festival), Mengone and Don Pelagio (Bampton Classical Opera), Nardone (New Chamber Opera), Bach Magnificat (Anton Bruckner Choir), Israel in Egypt (English Baroque Choir), Messiah (Opus 48), Mozart Requiem (Highgate Choral Society), Bach in Leipzig (Royal Academy of Music), J. S. Bach Easter Oratorio (St John of Jerusalem Festival Chorus), St John Passion (Arundel Cathedral and St John’s College, Cambridge), and On Wenlock Edge (Cambridge Summer Music Festival).
A Glyndebourne Festival Opera member in Summer 2024, Henry is now in the Opernstudio of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, with roles this season including Anichino (Beatrice di Tenda), Normanno (Lucia di Lammermoor), and Sailor (Dido and Aeneas).
Make it a night to remember and pre-order one of our spectacular Kingfisher Hampers to enjoy on the riverbank. With a selection of sandwiches, savoury snacks, sweet treats, and a bottle of wine, it’s the perfect accompaniment. You’ll find a special discount code in your ticket confirmation email.
EVENT FAQ’S
START TIME
Gates open at 6pm. The Kingfisher Hamper collection point and our bar will be open at 6pm.
The performance will begin at 7:30pm.
FINISH TIME
The evening will finish at approximately 10pm.
SEATING
Please note there won’t be seating on-site so you will need to bring your own chair, picnic blanket or seating of choice. No gazebos or parasols will be permitted.
CATERING ON-SITE
The Glass House will be open from 4pm until 7:30 pm, serving drinks, cocktails and a selection of light bites.
We also have a bar offering a variety of drinks on the evening.
You can also pre-order a sumptuous Kingfisher Hamper to pick up on the evening. There is a special discount code when you book your tickets, so make sure you check the confirmation email. You can simply select Opera on the Test as your pickup point at checkout when purchasing your hamper on kingfisherhampers.co.uk.
You will need to bring your own chair, picnic blanket or seating of choice to the event.
TICKET INFORMATION
All ticket sales are final and non-refundable.
If we are not able to host the event, you will be given a full refund. We will not be liable for any costs you incur (such as travel expenses) should we need to cancel the event.