THE 2005 season at Longborough Festival Opera opens on Friday, June 17, with Puccini's bittersweet La Boheme.

There will be a total of 20 performances of three different operas staged at the Palladian-style opera house between Moreton and Stow right through the months of June and July. The other operas are LFO's own production of Mozart's Magic Flute and Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretal, all three sung in English.

Longborough Festival Opera is the brainchild of entrepreneur Martin Graham who built a fully-fledged professional theatre in the grounds of his house and LFO has been producing its own work since 1998.

This season, Humperdinck's version of the well-known fairy tale will be making good use of the newly extended orchestra pit, using an orchestra of 42 players and featuring 14 children carefully coached and prepared by Maria Jagusz. It will be directed by Alan Privett and conducted by Paul McGrath.

Gloucestershire-based mezzo-soprano Maria Jagusz will be singing the part of Hansel. She will also be running this year's workshops and education programme. As well as working as an international opera singer, she teaches at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has extensive experience of working with young people.

LFO's production of Magic Flute was first staged in 2002 and is returning by popular demand. The revival will be directed by Alan Privett and conducted by Alan Dean, formerly head of music at Scottish Opera and currently Professor of Singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and The National Opera Studio.

"LFO strives to provide a platform for young singers from Gloucestershire who are studying, or about to study, at the UK's leading music colleges," said spokeswoman Charlotte Ooi. "This year, students from Gloucestershire will be sharing the stage with some of Britain's finest singers and musicians in The Magic Flute and La Boheme."

La Boheme, perhaps Puccini's best-loved opera. Set in the Latin Quarter in Paris in 1830, the loves and friendships of a group of young Parisian artists and poets form the backdrop to the tender, but ultimately tragic, love story of Rodolfo and Mimi. The LFO commission is directed and designed by Richard Sturder and conducted by Jonathan Lyness, both from The Opera Project.

All performances start at 6.30pm and have a 75-minute interval for picnicking in the grounds or dining in the LFO restaurant. Further information from the box office on 01451 830292 or enquiries@longboroughopera.com There is also an illustrated website www.longboroughopera.com.

Performance schedule: Friday and Saturday, June 17 and 18, La Boheme; Friday and Saturday, June 24 and 25, Magic Flute; Tuesday and Wednesday, June 28 and 29, La Boheme; Friday and Saturday, July 1 and 2, and Wednesday, July 6, Magic Flute; Friday and Saturday, July 8 and 9, La Boheme; Friday and Saturday, July 15 and 16, Tuesday and Wednesday, July 19 and 20, Hansel and Gretel; Friday and Saturday, July 22 and 23, La Boheme; Wednesday, July 27, Hansel and Gretel; Friday and Saturday, July 29 and 30, Magic Flute.