Oxford Touring Opera (OTO) was formed 21 years ago in order to create an environment in which amateur and semi-professional singers could have the opportunity to perform fully-staged opera to a high standard.

Every year since then OTO (formerly known as Opera Exchange) has put on at least one fully-staged opera, as well as concerts and other events. As well as providing opportunities for singers to develop their talents and widen their repertoire, this also gives directors and musical directors a chance to share and develop their experience.

We always perform in English and seek to make opera accessible to as wide an audience as possible, travelling to a wide range of venues in order to do so: small village halls (the smallest seating no more than 50 people) through to medium-sized provincial theatres, as well as operatic concerts in local churches and, in the summer, a number of outdoor venues.

Our latest project continued in this tradition: a fully-staged production of Rossini’s The Italian Girl in Algiers, performed in four separate venues over six nights (Abingdon, Witney, Thame and Oxford). This was a lively comedy involving slaves, harems, shipwrecks, love and the ultimate come-uppance of the Bey of Algiers. Along the way there was a lot of fun to be had, as well as plenty of vocal gymnastics and lovely music.