Composer Mark Simpson and writer Melanie Challenger discuss their opera, ‘Pleasure’.

The first of Folkestone New Music's series of 2025 events and performances at kollectiv, Folkestone's exciting new arts and culture hub. Composer Mark Simpson and award-winning environmentalist writer Melanie Challenger discuss their opera, ‘Pleasure’.

Pleasure was co-commissioned by the Royal Opera House, Opera North, and Aldeburgh Music, and first performed in Leeds in 2016 to great acclaim.

’.”…the perfect operatic subject: squalid and earthbound yet imbued with a radiant, almost mythic quality… At the start of what one hopes will be a long operatic career, Simpson has pulled off a genuine coup." - The Guardian

At 18:00, we will be offering a free, celebratory glass whilst the team introduces what is happening in the rest of the full and exciting 2025 Folkestone New Music season. Please join us!