Return of the Queens - Kings Arise

Concert 1 of our Stormlight Series. 

In 'Return of the Queens', power, passion and private truth collide in an afternoon of dramatic scenes, arias and ensembles drawn from opera, operetta and music theatre across centuries. Queens, kings, rulers and usurpers step into the spotlight through music by Handel, Purcell, Verdi, Donizetti, Rossini, Rimsky-Korsakov and more. From moments of grandeur and political intrigue to wit, vulnerability and human longing, TOSC soloists and ensemble bring these legendary figures vividly to life in an immersive concert of light, shadow and royal drama.

Across three distinctive programmes, The Opera and Song Collective explores the interplay of light and shadow in music, drama and human connection. From the charged histories of Return of the Queens: Kings Arise, where power and private truth collide, to the intimate, contemporary voices of Stormlight, where composers and performers share living works, and culminating in the luminous contrast of Shadow to Champagne: Strauss & Strauss, the series traces a journey from darkness to brilliance. Together, these concerts reveal light not as a single idea, but as something shifting — psychological, sensory and celebratory — at the heart of musical experience.

Each of these concerts is held in the beautiful acoustic and ambience of St Luke's Anglican Church and we invite the audience to mingle with the artists in the courtyard after the concert over refreshments.