OPERA singer Lynsey Docherty will join four internationally celebrated performers for an evening journeying through opera’s most beloved melodies next week.

The beautifully lit Medieval Hall in the Cathedral Close provides the backdrop for a magical Night at the Opera, which looks set to add a touch of Christmas sparkle to Salisbury’s December festivities.

Docherty, who comes from Salisbury, is a young soprano who has sung many lead roles and toured the UK extensively, performing in opera festivals, concert halls, cathedrals and music societies nationwide.

She joins mezzo-soprano Alison Kettlewell, who, having sung most of the major mezzo repertoire, appears fresh from her universally criticallycclaimed performances of the Ring Cycle at Longborough.

Tenor Adriano Graziani comes to Salisbury between performances of Alfredo (La Traviata) in Bern, Switzerland and Arizona, USA.

And baritone Philip Smith will arias by Verdi and Mozart prior to his debut Papageno (Die Zauberflöte) in Bari, Italy in 2014.

The evening’s musical director, Kelvin Lim, is one of the most distinguished repétitéurs of his generation, having worked with most of the UK’s major opera companies and featured in broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and 4.

He has also accompanied such operatic legends as Sir John Tomlinson and Dame Anne Evans.

Sponsored by Wiltshire Wealth Management, the concert programme offers drama, passion and romance with a touch of humour and a dash of Christmas revelry with much-loved works by Mozart, Verdi, Puccini and Strauss.

Tickets for the concert, which is being held on Friday, December 13 at 7.30pm, are £25 and unreserved.

They and are available from the Salisbury Playhouse Box Office on 01722 320333 or at salisburyplayhouse.com.