FIELD TRIP

Opera in the Hidden Garden

Haydn's Le Pescatrici with a Contemplative Labs gathering

New College Opera's summer production is one of Oxford's most atmospheric annual events — performed outdoors in the Warden's secluded garden, with a candlelit cloisters interval long enough to settle into. We're using it as a gathering point: a chance to meet in a beautiful place, with something worth attending together.

This year's performance is Haydn's Le Pescatrici (The Fisher Girls) — the composer's first full-length opera, a witty Goldoni comedy of mistaken identity among fishermen and a lost princess. It receives very few modern stagings; this is a rare opportunity.

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HOW THE EVENING UNFOLDS

6:00 pm We meet in the Warden's Garden

Half an hour to find each other and settle in before the performance begins. Enter New College from Turl Street.

6:30 pm Performance Begins

Conductor: Steven Levine. Director: Michael Burden. Performed in English translation.

Interval 75-minute picnic in the candlelit cloisters

The heart of the evening. Bring your own picnic, glasses, and cutlery — tables and cloths are provided. This is our real gathering time.

~9:30 pm The Evening Ends

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PRACTICAL NOTES

Opera tickets — £50, booked directly through The Friends of the Oxford Botanic Garden. Book early — this sells out.

Contemplative Labs gathering fee — £8, covering coordination and hosting.

Dress — relaxed formal; some guests wear black tie.

Location — New College, enter from Turl Street. No parking at the college.

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Field Trips are Contemplative Labs gatherings built around a shared experience in the world.