Opera is an amazing art form – possibly the supreme art form, but what exactly is opera?

First and foremost, it is the musical enactment of drama, so the people on stage need to be able to sing and act with equal measures of skill. Actors in the theatre or cinema speak and interpret – a basic human skill – but far rarer is the ability to move an audience by singing and interpreting.

It is the task of the composer and librettist to create a drama through words, situations and music. Most of the credit tends to go to the composer, but the librettist plays an essential role in the creative partnership. That is why composers have often chosen to partner with the same librettist for a series of works: Mozart with da Ponte; Verdi with Piave; Puccini with Illica and Giacosa; Strauss with Hofmannsthal … and Wagner with himself! On occasion the drama can lose its way, sometimes it can become almost incomprehensible, but music of genius can compensate for those deficiencies. With the help of a masterly conductor and gifted, committed singers, the audience can be carried along on a wave of sound and emotion.

Much of that emotion is carried by the voice. Studies have shown that an innate talent for singing exists in most children. Often this talent is not recognised, but when it is nurtured an enjoyment of singing starts to blossom. The possessor of a good voice can be inspired by hearing a great voice. He or she can go on to enjoy singing, whether as a soloist or in a group, and maybe ultimately to embark on a professional career.

From the age of 14 when overnight I ‘discovered’ a new bass voice, I harboured dreams of an operatic career. I did not pursue it, opting for the law instead. Do I regret it? Probably not, because I have enjoyed my career and have been lucky enough to sing regularly in public. Yes, I sometimes fantasise about what might have been; but I know that to attend any operatic performance – whether in the smallest hall or the largest auditorium – is a privilege. It is a thrill simply to be in the presence of singers who have taken their genuine talent and ‘made it’ through hard work and dedication.

So I feel privileged to be the founder of what, I hope, will be a website to bring opera lovers together. I look forward not only to contributing to the site, but to enhancing my own knowledge and love of opera, not least through hearing from fellow opera lovers around the world. What do they – you – think about performances, recordings, singers, orchestras, opera houses, village halls … in fact anything to do with opera? Let’s all make OperaLovers.net a place for us to share our love of this…

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