Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Iphigenia in Tauris is a Greek drama which blends both emotional beauty and intensity in a tale of fate, redemption and the enduring strength of familial bonds.

Fifteen years after being miraculously saved from death at the hands of her own father, Iphigenia lives in exile in a foreign land, serving as a priestess to Diana, the goddess who rescued her. Obliged to preside over the brutal rituals demanded by the King of Tauris, she remains haunted by memories of family, faith, and a life stolen by the gods.

Into this bleak world arrives her brother, Orestes, tormented by the Furies for the crime of matricide, and desperate to find an end to his suffering. Will the siblings recognise one another, escape Tauris and reclaim their broken legacy, or will Iphigenia be forced to unknowingly sacrifice her own flesh and blood?

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Sung in English in a newly commissioned translation by Martin Pickard (Head of Music, Opera North 2008-2015), and specially adapted for the unique performing forces of Blackheath Halls Opera, this dynamic production will explore the power of love in all its forms – between friends and lovers, across family, and in the bonds of community – even in the darkest of times.

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Performances at Blackheath Halls between the 23rd and 28th September, 2025.

More information here.

Director Laura Attridge
Music Director Chris Stark
Designer Peiyao Wang
Lighting Designer Charly Dunford
Movement Director Corina Wuersch

English translation by Martin Pickard

Iphigenia Francesca Chiejina 
Oreste Dan Shelvey
Pylade Michael Lafferty 
Thoas Dan D’Souza
First Priestess Emily Williams 

With…
Greenvale School
Charlton Park Academy
Blackheath Halls Chorus and Youth Company
Blackheath Halls Orchestra