Opera at Chilmark produces one opera a year over the August Bank Holiday weekend in the barn at Cleeves Farm, Chilmark, Salisbury. The 2018 production, on Sunday 26 and Monday 27 August was a double bill - John Blow's Venus and Adonis (in concert format) and Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas (staged).
Venus and Adonis - A Masque for the Entertainment of the King was performed at court and later at Josias Priest's Boarding School at Chelsea in 1684 - a few year's later Dido was performed at the same school. Purcell and Blow were very well acquainted and Dido was clearly influenced in many ways by Venus.
Opera at Chilmark warmly thanks Henry and Elizabeth Pelham, our extremely generous hosts.