Liberata Collective

Liberata Collective is led by Creative Director Olivia Doutney and Managing Director Susanna MacRae. The company creates bold, beautifully crafted opera productions rooted in historically informed performance and theatrical storytelling, all told through the expressive language of Baroque Gesture.

Their debut production of Handel’s Orlando premiered at Buxton International Festival and Lichfield Festival in July 2023 to sold-out audiences and critical acclaim. Music Director Adrian Butterfield led from the violin, directing Ensemble Hesperi in a specially commissioned chamber arrangement by Peter Jones. The production was praised for its imaginative direction, vibrant performances, and commitment to historically informed staging.

Orlando was revived in 2024 for Beaumaris Festival and Stour Early Music Festival, once again playing to packed houses and earning a standing ovation. For the revival, Liberata Collective welcomed harpsichordist Petra Hajduchova as Music Director, leading the company’s own ensemble of exceptional players.

In May 2025, Liberata Collective launched a new production of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito at Beaumaris Festival, offering an intimate reimagining of Mozart’s final opera seria and further refining the company’s distinctive style and aesthetic.

The company’s current major production, Antonia, marks an ambitious new chapter. Conceived as an Opera Portrait, it places a singular female figure at its centre (in this case Marie Antoinette), weaving music, text, and Baroque Gesture into a theatrical exploration of identity, influence, and power.

Liberata Collective’s work has previously been supported by Arts Council England, The Golsoncott Foundation, and currently by the Maria Björnson Memorial Fund.