Swansea City Opera’s reputation is for great live performance at venues where live performance of any kind is a rare treat, and many audiences have never seen opera before.  We involve local community choirs, so amateur singers learn through singing alongside professionals, and we take accessible productions into accessible community venues.  We are committed to dispelling ideas of opera as “not for us”, and commission contemporary work that is relevant now.  In 1999 we created Tower, telling of the struggle to prevent the Tower Colliery closure, and are now collaborating with Men’s Sheds Cymru to create Shoulder to ShoulderOur productions excite audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and we work with local venues to encourage groups such as schools to come to performances.  We give pre-production talks so that people have better insight to what they will see, and the work that goes on behind the scenes.We give young performers valuable experience performing on tour, under the guidance of professional company staff who share experience from their own rich careers, encouraging professional development for musicians and singers alike.  The venues that we visit benefit from the audiences we attract and the opportunity to develop their own audiences for future events.