CUOS: Producing and supporting world-class student opera for over 100 years.
Cambridge University Opera Society (CUOS) organises and supports a wide range of opera-related activities, including fully staged productions, concerts, masterclasses, workshops, recitals, trips, and educational projects.
For many students, CUOS projects are amongst the most thrilling and rewarding experiences of their time in Cambridge. They bring together interdisciplinary teams and leave lasting memories, both on and off the stage. We stage at least two large-scale projects each year: a Michaelmas Show and a Mainshow (in Lent), which are produced entirely by students.
In recent years, these have included:
• L'incoronazione di Poppea (Monteverdi)
• Die Fledermaus (Strauss)
• The Rake’s Progress (Stravinsky)
• The Turn of the Screw (Britten)
• The Cunning Little Vixen (Janáček)
We also champion new works: during Lent, our CUOS Shorts programme offers student composers and librettists the opportunity to stage their work semi-professionally. Recent productions have been enriched by masterclasses led by industry experts such as Johnny Graham-Hall, Michael Chance and the English Touring Opera.
For many students, CUOS projects are amongst the most thrilling and rewarding experiences of their time in Cambridge. They bring together interdisciplinary teams and leave lasting memories, both on and off the stage. We stage at least two large-scale projects each year: a Michaelmas Show and a Mainshow (in Lent), which are produced entirely by students.
In recent years, these have included:
• L'incoronazione di Poppea (Monteverdi)
• Die Fledermaus (Strauss)
• The Rake’s Progress (Stravinsky)
• The Turn of the Screw (Britten)
• The Cunning Little Vixen (Janáček)
We also champion new works: during Lent, our CUOS Shorts programme offers student composers and librettists the opportunity to stage their work semi-professionally. Recent productions have been enriched by masterclasses led by industry experts such as Johnny Graham-Hall, Michael Chance and the English Touring Opera.
CUOS' story
CUOS' rich history spans over 100 years. The first Cambridge University Opera Society was founded in 1920 by Boris Ord, then an undergraduate at Corpus Christi College, and a small band of amateurs anxious to preserve the enthusiasm provoked by the first performance at Cambridge in that year of Purcell's 'The Fairy Queen'. It sang both operas and madrigals for its own amusement, and changed its name to the Cambridge University Madrigal Society in 1924. Its first public performance, with Ord - by then a Fellow of King's College - as conductor, was of Byrd's 'Great Service' in Little St Mary's church in 1924. From 1928, it sang annually in May Week on the river Cam. It gave concerts in Paris, Leiden, Berlin, Hamburg and London and made recordings. In 1958, when Boris Ord became too ill to conduct, he chose Raymond Leppard (b.1927, Trinity College, MA 1955) as his successor. Upon Leppard's departure from Cambridge in 1968, the society was dissolved.
Through the initiative of Benjamin Britten, Rafael Kubelik, William Walton and Georg Solti, amongst others, the society was reestablished as the Cambridge University Opera Group in 1954, and subsequently renamed the Cambridge University Opera Society in 1966. Since then, CUOS has existed to promote the enjoyment of opera through lectures, discussions, recitals, masterclasses and the staging of operatic productions. The society has helped to launch the careers of distinguished alumni including Mark Elder, David Atherton, Michael Chance, Andrew Kennedy and Alan Clayton. Visit our Hall of Fame for more information on their successes.
Through the initiative of Benjamin Britten, Rafael Kubelik, William Walton and Georg Solti, amongst others, the society was reestablished as the Cambridge University Opera Group in 1954, and subsequently renamed the Cambridge University Opera Society in 1966. Since then, CUOS has existed to promote the enjoyment of opera through lectures, discussions, recitals, masterclasses and the staging of operatic productions. The society has helped to launch the careers of distinguished alumni including Mark Elder, David Atherton, Michael Chance, Andrew Kennedy and Alan Clayton. Visit our Hall of Fame for more information on their successes.
Getting involved
Photo: Sapphire Armitage
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CUOS offers a wide range of opportunities for students to engage in opera production, both on stage and behind the scenes. Whether you're a performer, musician, composer, or interested in production work, there's a place for you. All CUOS productions hold open auditions, with a variety of roles available in both the chorus and as principals. We welcome performers of all experience levels and strongly encourage anyone interested to join our mailing list and follow us on social media for the latest audition announcements. Each CUOS show is led by a core production team consisting of a director, music director, producer, and assistant producer. This team is responsible for submitting the initial show proposal to the CUOS committee. We are always looking for enthusiastic individuals to join as part of the wider production crew — including stage management, lighting, set, costume, and sound design. Interested applicants can either reach out directly to the production team or apply for advertised roles via CamDram. CUOS has reintroduced Opera Shorts, a showcase of student-composed chamber operas performed at the end of Lent Term. This initiative provides composers with the opportunity to have their work staged by experienced student creatives and supported by the CUOS committee. We regularly seek instrumentalists to perform in CUOS productions, including performances in West Road Concert Hall’s orchestra pit for our Mainshow. If you're interested in playing for CUOS, please contact us directly. |
The CUOS committee is open to all students of the University of Cambridge. Elections are held annually in March/April. To learn more about available roles and how to get involved, keep an eye on our announcements via Facebook, Instagram and X.
Visit our Get Involved page for more information on these opportunities.
Visit our Get Involved page for more information on these opportunities.
