The Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra’s forthcoming concert, ‘ A Night at the Opera’ will be held at St Mary’s Priory Church in Chepstow on Saturday July 5 2025.

The orchestra is presenting its usual exciting programme with spectacular music from the last two centuries. You will be able to hear a stunning brass overture in Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, Ralph Vaughan Williams’s deeply emotional Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus, featuring our string players and then the orchestra will be joined by local singing superstar, soprano Emilie Parry- Williams for the heart rending Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss. The second half features Grace Williams’s rarely played Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes, followed by a set of very well known tunes from the world of opera, including Bizet’s Carmen, again with Emilie Parry- Williams.

Emilie Parry-Williams is a Classical Soprano based in Monmouthshire, South Wales. With a diverse and distinguished performance career spanning both opera and musical theatre, Emilie is known for her exceptional vocal technique and versatile performance style. She is highly sought after for a wide range of commissions and engagements, regularly performing at prestigious venues across the UK and internationally.

In Autumn 2022, Emilie gained international recognition as a contestant on The Voice UK, where she impressed all four coaches during the Blind Auditions, securing four chair turns. Sir Tom Jones notably used his one-block button to prevent Emilie from choosing Olly Murs, adding an extra layer of excitement to her remarkable performance.

Emilie has graced some of the most iconic stages in the UK, including the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Glyndebourne Opera House, Bath Abbey, St. David's Hall Cardiff, and The Sherman Theatre Cardiff, as well as the renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

A spokesperson for the orchestra said, “ we’re incredibly excited that Emilie is able to join us for this concert. She really has the most extraordinary voice which sounds incredible in the acoustic of the church. Her emotional range is exceptional.”

There will be a range of unusual instruments on show within the orchestra; contra bassoon, bass clarinet, harp and numerous percussion instruments too. The orchestra will be led by distinguished local violinist, Ros Taunton and conducted by Fiona Crawley.

The orchestra is delighted to be able to perform once again at St Mary’s Priory Church in Chepstow and the retiring collection will be donated to the upkeep of this extraordinary building.

Launched in January 1993, the Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra is a lively and friendly ensemble, which meets on Thursday nights at Newnham Primary School . The orchestra comprises amateur musicians from all parts of the county as well as the Forest of Dean and South Wales.

The orchestra performs exciting orchestral music, embraces performing commissions by local composers and also enjoys specialising in concerto performances from young talented Gloucestershire musicians.The orchestra is continuing to expand and would like to hear from interested musicians.

The Chepstow concert starts at 7.30pm. Tickets are available at the door; £10 or free for those in full time education.