An Evening with Streetwise Opera and Friends

From the irresistible seduction of Bizet’s Habanera and the ardent sensuality of Purcell’s If Music Be the Food of Love to the blissful lyricism of Schubert’s Seligkeit, our programme brings together some of opera and song’s most loved repertoire.

There is the devastating heartbreak of Dido’s When I am Laid in Earth, the dramatic intensity of Saint-Saëns’ Amour! viens aider ma faiblesse, the haunting simplicity of Britten’s O Waly Waly and the soaring optimism of You’ll Never Walk Alone.

The evening is also expected to feature music by Puccini, Rossini and Britten, including Sì, mi chiamano Mimì from La bohème, Rossini’s dazzling Una voce poco fa and some of Britten’s much-loved English folksong arrangements, alongside Copland’s Why Do They Shut Me Out of Heaven?

Bringing this music to life are four exceptional British singers: sopranos Sophie Bevan MBE and Elizabeth Watts, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston and tenor Matthew McKinney.

The evening will also feature the world premiere of Roelof Temmingh’s Dreams are also wounds, inspired by a poem by Breyten Breytenbach, the South African poet, artist and anti-apartheid activist who spent years in Pr*son during apartheid. Moving through dreams, love, memory, fear and wounds that refuse to heal, the poem inspired Temmingh to create a new work for solo voice and chorus, performed by Matthew McKinney and performers from the award-winning Streetwise Opera.

Streetwise Opera will open the evening with a special preview of one of the key pieces they are preparing for the company’s 25th anniversary celebrations in 2027, giving audiences an early glimpse of the music at the heart of that landmark year.

Throughout the evening, the singers will be accompanied by pianists Sebastian Wybrew and Roelof Temmingh.

Join us at St John’s Waterloo on Friday 25 September, from 8pm to 10pm, for an evening of opera, song and new music in support of Streetwise Opera.

Funds raised from the concert will support Streetwise Opera’s work with people who have experienced homelessness in London, Manchester and Nottingham, helping performers develop confidence, rebuild identity and form meaningful social connections through music and creativity.

St John’s Waterloo is wheelchair accessible, with step-free access to the main performance space, lift access to the crypt and an accessible toilet.