IMMERSIVE OPERA
GET ENGAGED“I honestly felt like I was part of it”
At Hull Urban Opera, engagement is key, whether you’re an audience member or one of our amazing volunteer performers. You might be invited to enter a drawing competition or judge one! You are at the centre of the action. You’ll find us in unusual spaces around Hull where we create immersive experiences which continualy reimagine what opera can be.
Our digital work has been broadcast on Sky Arts & Now TV and our version of Purcell’s famous Cold Song has been viewed on YouTube a quarter of a million times. We are supported by Arts Council England, Hull City Arts and a number of fantastic charities as well as Screen Yorkshire and York University.
Immersive Opera
Find out more about how we work
Take Part
Volunteer with Hull Urban Opera
What’s on
More about our next performances
Past Opera
More about previous opera productions
Past Concerts
More about our previous concerts
Past Digital
More about our digital work
“The Party” is over!
Some reaction to our 2024 immersive opera
Critic
“out of this world. Unlike anything you’ve seen before… this brilliant and bonkers immersive experience.” Chris Holmes, Reviews Hub
Audience
“Went to see this tonight, we thought it was fab! It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but this is the best modern opera I’ve seen.”
Volunteer
“… this fantastic production. I’ve been in many projects in Hull and this was one of the best.”
HUO’s lockdown commission, Crocodile, on Now TV
A digital opera by Lente Verelst & Lena Vercauteren
“A little bit Punch & Judy and a little bit The Shining, it’s a very dark but also very clever a capella micro-opera using all kinds of vocal effects. Well worth the 12 minutes it takes to watch” – Alexandra Coghlan, opera critic.
Our animated Punch & Judy opera was free to view on Sky Arts in the original dark web version featuring Poppy Shotts, Joanna Gamble, Alex Grainger & Neil Balfour and is now available to view with subscription on Now TV. It is directed by Russell Plows with animation by Anna Bean & music by Lente Verelst.
About HUO and Immersive Opera
Hull Urban Opera takes a fresh view on what opera is, where it happens, who takes part & who watches
Hull Urban Opera was formed in Hull City of Culture year 2017 by Russell Plows with Ben Newton as Music Director. As Artistic Director, Russell continues to make a case for opera as a universal artform and one which can be enjoyed by any member of society.
Our innovative approach seeks to imagine opera anew with each project. We have presented opera as a guided ghost tour, a mindfulness event, an act of personal storytelling, and we continue to push at the boundaries of what constitutes an operatic work.
HUO presents immersive opera with no barrier between audience and performer. Audience members inhabit the same space as the performers. This creates the intimacy and immediacy which powers the journey we make with our audiences.
Our communities can now really experience a new opera from within by working with us as volunteer performers. HUO believes in the raw power and authenticity of community voices and they are an important force and colour within our new work.
HUO is community-led via continual input and feedback from East Yorkshire people who are volunteers, Ambassadors, voluntary performers and audience members. Suggestions are encouraged and those which gain critical mass go on to become HUO Live or HUO Digital projects.
Our work is designed to have a broad appeal via imaginative responses to topical subjects and high-quality production values & performance.