The Garsington Opera 2016 season opens on Friday, June 3, bringing some of the best British talent to Wormsley.

The season offers some of history’s most infamous titles such as Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Mozart’s seria Idomeneo and Rossini’s sparkling L’italiana in Algeri.

The company’s director of artistic administration, Laura Canning, is particularly excited: “It’s a very varied season and all the more exciting because of it. As well as three opera productions we also have our first collaboration with Rambert [Dance Company], so we have some really top quality dance on our beautiful stage as well as our three operas.

“Every single singer in Onegin is absolutely world-class. We’ve been excited about Roderick Williams coming to do his first Onegin with us since he was booked. What’s really exciting for me, from a professional perspective, is that everybody on stage is of his level and singing with just such glorious intensity.

“Natalya Romaniw is doing her first Tatyana, I think she is an artist who will sing that all over the world in the biggest houses, and the fact that we can say that she did her first song with us here is something that I will take great pleasure and pride in.

“I feel that we’ve really excelled ourselves in vocal excellence across the board. We’ve got some wonderful people in our other shows tooas well: Toby Spence is doing his first Idomeneo with us this year and that’s something I can’t wait to see.”

Laura goes on to tell me that each production is accompanied by the Garsington Opera Chorus: “We have roughly 40 young singers who are going to be joining us in our choruses this year, they’re not all in all three operas because we’re not that mean, but the noise that they make is one of the healthiest, most beautiful noises I’ve ever heard a chorus make.

“They’re young singers, often still studying or a year or two out. They usually have a small role or an understudy as well as singing chorus with us, we’re definitely aiming at singers who will also have a professional solo career.

“There’s a really exciting atmosphere, it’s exciting for all of us to have young people potentially doing their first professional engagement around massively established singers. What those young singers can learn from watching someone like Roderick Williams go through a rehearsal process, it fulfils another one of our aims to maintain the art form and develop people for the future and keep everybody excited and cheerful and forward looking. It’s a really positive thing for us.”

Laura herself has never been a professional musician, she has spent her whole career in opera administration, but admits dabbling in it up until she was at university.

”I sang all the way through school and college, that was how I made my friends and had my fun, but I got to university and realised that there were other people who were much better at it than me, so I took a step to the side to organise other people doing it rather than doing it myself and I’ve never looked back.

“I’ve always loved theatre as well, Considering that I’ve always loved theatre and singing it probably took me longer to come to opera than you might expect. There’s something just so fabulous about that fusion. When everything goes right it really is just the most exciting art form, I think.”

As well as the promising productions, long intervals will allow attendees to dine in the restaurant marquee that overlooks their famous cricket ground, or have a picnic somewhere in the elegant expanse. You will be able to take a trip in a vintage bus to the 18th century walled garden, or enjoy traditional afternoon tea overlooking the cricket pitch.

There is also the opportunity to arrive early in order to enjoy the gardens and grounds of the Wormsley Estate, before performances begin in the early evening.

Garsington Opera, Wormsley Estate, Stokenchurch, Friday, June 3 until Sunday, July 17. Details: 01865 361636