CHIPPING Norton Town Hall will be the venue for the inaugural gala evening of a new opera company called Opera Festa.

The group was formed by professional artists from the top British opera houses and is based in West Oxfordshire.

The evening, on May 5, will feature four principal singers from some of the United Kingdom's major opera houses in a programme which the company promises will feature a rich variety of music, suitable for all ages and tastes, and will range from Mozart to Gilbert & Sullivan.

The ticket price of £17.50 includes a champagne reception.

If you don't get to see the company this time around, future plans include a newly-devised programme, The Baritone Seduces, which is due to be staged at Cirencester Brewery Arts Centre in June and a new production of Donizetti's comedy Don Pasquale in Ledbury, Worcestershire.

For further details call 01993 812336.