TO celebrate the fact that they have survived for ten years without public subsidy, Dorset Chamber Opera has commissioned a new opera.
It's based on Thomas Hardy's short story Absent Mindedness in a Parish Choir, with music by Brian Parkhurst, a member of the Dorset Composers Network, and libretto by local poet David Bushrod.
The Devil's Trill will be performed at 8pm tonight at St Michael's Church in Poole Road, Bournemouth.
And to add to the sense of occasion, the audience is invited to wear Victorian costume if they wish.
DCO was started by Ruth Hastings in 1990 and tours throughout Wessex.
Until now they have performed chamber versions of well-known operas, but commissioning a new one will enable the company to have something which both suits their resources and has a genuine Dorset character.
"We believe that it will be enormous fun" says Ruth Hastings, "and to indicate that there is nothing stuffy or pretentious about it, we have sub-titled it A Dorset Musical Romp".
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