The If Opera Big Quiz
An Evening of Opera, Laughter & Giving
Gather your friends and join us for a very special fundraising evening in the atmospheric surroundings of the ancient barn at Belcombe Court in Bradford on Avon.
Expect a quiz with a difference, with an entertaining mix of clever questions, light-hearted challenges and wonderfully varied rounds, interspersed with live music. And don't worry, you won't need to know your Mozart from your Monteverdi, this is definitely not all about opera!
Friday 30 October 2026
Welcome drinks from 6.30pm, before taking your seats for the quiz at 7.00pm
Individual tickets: £65 per person | Tables of six: £390
Your ticket includes a welcome glass of fizz, a generous grazing board to enjoy during the evening and tea and coffee. Additional wine will be available to purchase on the night.
Bring together a team of six and put your collective knowledge to the test, all while raising vital funds for If Opera.
If you’d love to join us but can’t quite gather a team of six, please register your interest here and as soon as we have enough guests to make up a team, we’ll be in touch to bring you together.
Booking for this event is open until Tuesday 20 October.
What to Expect…
Quiz Rounds
Light-hearted, clever and wonderfully varied, with something to challenge every team - and plenty of moments to make you laugh.Live Performances
Enjoy captivating musical interludes from a professional opera singer, accompanied by our Artistic Director, Oliver Gooch.Drinks & Grazing
Arrive to a glass of bubbles, then settle in around beautiful grazing boards to share with your table as the evening unfolds. Wine, beer and soft drinks will be available to buy.Atmosphere
Think warm lighting, candlelight, lush décor and elegant classical touches - an intimate, beautifully styled setting for an unforgettable night.
Join us for this entertaining evening and help us to raise much-needed funds.
Every ticket, raffle entry and donation helps us continue to create sensational experiences for our audiences, community and industry.
Meet your host and musicians for the evening…
Don Foster
The Rt Hon., the Lord Foster of Bath, or Baron Foster of Bath, is better known as just Don. Following an early career as a science teacher/lecturer, Don famously unseated sitting MP Chris Patten to become the Liberal Democrat MP for Bath in 1992, where he remained until he stood down in 2015.
Awarded a life peerage in October 2015, Don remains an active member of the House of Lords, with particular interests in gambling reform, the developing world and education.
Sarah Gilford
British soprano Sarah Gilford made her If Opera debut in August as Michela in Carmen. Recent engagements include Nerea Deidamia (Wexford Festival Opera), Dalinda Ariodante (Les Arts Florissants), Governess The Turn of the Screw (Ustinov Theatre Bath) and Sophie Werther (The Royal Opera). Other opera includes title role Mignon, Giannetta L’elisir d’amore, Sandmann Hänsel und Gretel and Barbarina Le nozze di Figaro (Bayerische Staatsoper) and Susanna Le nozze di Figaro and Gilda Rigoletto (Stadttheater Klagenfurt). Concert appearances include Beethoven Ninth Symphony, Mahler Second Symphony and Handel Messiah. She trained at Bayerische Staatsoper Opernstudio and was a finalist at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2021.
Oliver Gooch
Oliver Gooch has been Music Director of Iford Arts since 2005 and Artistic Director since 2019. Opera credits elsewhere include the US premiere of Šárka (New York), Die Zauberflöte (Milan) and L'isola disabitata (Australia, Helpmann Awards Best Opera nomination). He has conducted the LPO, Philharmonia, Hallé, BBCSO, RPO, ROH Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Queensland Symphony, Tasmanian Symphony, New York Sinfonietta and Orchestra dei Pomeriggi Musicali. He founded Opera East Productions (receiving Sky Arts South Bank Award), was a Royal Opera Young Artists Programme Associate Conductor and Music Director for Raymond Gubbay operas at Royal Albert Hall. He is Director of the Blyth Centre for Music and Visual Arts at Imperial College London.
Friday 30 October 2026
6:30pm Welcome drinks
7:00pm Quiz begins
10:00pm Approx. end
Belcombe Court, Belcombe Road, Bradford-on-Avon, BA15 1LZ
Parking is available onsite.
Full details will be supplied by email in advance of the event.
Individual tickets: £65 per person | Tables of six: £390
Your ticket includes a welcome glass of fizz, a generous grazing board to enjoy during the evening and tea and coffee. Additional wine will be available to purchase on the night.
If you’d love to join us but can’t quite gather a team of six, please register your interest here. Individual tickets are £65 per person and, as soon as we have enough guests to make up a team, we’ll be in touch to bring you together.