Opera performed at Longborough, Garsington and Grange Park can, at its best, stand comparison with any in the world. Here, in the intimate atmosphere of a small and welcoming theatre within an elegant countryside setting you are likely to encounter some of the singing stars of the future – and some of the finest voices of the present.

What better way to start the tour than with Offenbach, heard in Garsington Opera’s new home, the superbly designed pavilion in the grounds of the Getty estate at Wormsley in the Chiltern Hills? La Périchole, a gloriously witty piece about the life and loves of a (supposedly 18th-century Peruvian) street singer and her companion, is packed with typical Offenbach joie de vivre – but you may weep as well as laugh at its heroine’s famous ‘tipsy’ song. Rising Irish star Naomi O’Connell takes the title role and baritone Geoffrey Dolton is the lascivious but ultimately forgiving Viceroy.

In Longborough, by contrast, we will experience a searing tragedy, Janáček’s Katya Kabanova: an opera, inspired in part by Janáček’s own yearnings, about a woman trapped in a loveless marriage who seeks in vain for true freedom. Longborough Opera in a Gloucestershire village has made a speciality of producing the more heavyweight repertoire (including Wagner) in an exquisite purpose-built little theatre whose seats were acquired from Covent Garden when the Royal Opera House underwent renovation some years ago. Directed by Richard Studer and conducted by Jonathan Lyness (the team responsible for last year’s Falstaff), Katya promises to be one of the tour’s highlights.

Mozart’s Idomeneo, a traditional opera seria with its roots in the ancient myths of the Trojan Wars, was premiered at the Munich court in 1781. With its rich range of both dramatic and lyrical outpourings it proved to be the 25-year-old composer’s first great operatic triumph. This production is sure to make an impact in Grange Park’s specially built theatre within the Orangery of a Greek-style ‘temple’. The production, by Charles Edwards, features Danish tenor David Danholt in the title role and the Korean-born soprano Hye-Youn Lee in the fiery role of Elettra. The conductor is early music expert Nicholas Kraemer.

Accompanied by music historian and lecturer on opera Roderick Swanston, there are daily talks and discussions. There is free time in Oxford and Winchester