Bradford Opera Festival comes roaring back in 2025 with three brand new works across live and digital platforms. Making opera for Bradford in a uniquely Bradford way, BOF uncovers Yorkshire history, poses hard questions about our future, and creates innovative cultural fusions in Yorkshire’s own dialect and languages.
The centrepiece of the festival is a world premiere of ‘The Last Machine Breaker’ composed by Ben Crick and written by Kamal Kaan. This live digital hybrid piece parallels the story of the Luddite revolt to the AI revolution now. The same two singers perform as George Mellor and his lover Mary on screen, and as AI humanoid, Adam, and his inventor Eva, live on stage. With echoes of Frankenstein, ‘The Last Machine Breaker’ asks whether we can harness the power of AI for the greater good. Or will our invention destroy us?
‘The Last Machine Breaker’ will premiere at Mind the Gap theatre in the heart of Industrial Bradford, on 10 and 11 November, before travelling to Skipton Town Hall on 12th, Slung Low in Holbeck, Leeds, on 15th, before finishing at Marsden Mechanics Hall on 16th November. Marsden Mechanics is the actual building where the Enoch hammers were forged, which were used by the Luddites to break the weaving machines.
Get your tickets:
Mind the Gap: 10 and 11 November
Skipton Town Hall: 12 November
Slung Low: 15 November
Marsden Mechanics Hall: 16 November
On 11th November, BOF will be hosting a mini-symposium on ‘Art, Access & AI’ for artists, technologists and researchers to explore the question of AI impact on arts and artists and what our response should be. It will have contributions from Simon Startin, ACE funded research into AI, performance and access, and Tom Higham of Mediale. Also in attendance will be members of The Fence, an international network of playwrights and producers, bringing a broader perspective to the debate, and connecting with local artists and producers.
Alongside ‘The Last Machine Breaker’ BOF25 will feature two new ‘pop up operas’ showcasing local Bradford talent and stories. ‘Nikkah’ by Kauser Mukhtar and Phillipa Jennings will blend Punjabi folk music and classical Western tradition, telling a story of a woman trying to pick her way through the demands of her heart and society. Performed in English and Punjabi, it will be performed at:
16th November – 2.00 pm at Darley St Market
17th November, 11.30 am Highfield Community Centre, Keighley
18th November, 10.20 am Belle Vue Girls Academy
20th November, 11.00 am at Women Zone
‘Sujood’ is a new piece by poet and digital creative Asma Elbadawi, with music by Christella Litras and filmed by Pishdaad Modaressi. This innovative and immersive piece blending poetry, film and music will be shared on our website as part of the Festival in November.
BOF is also looking for the talent of the future, working on local Bradford schools with ‘Chota Opera’, our popular programme where school children get to create their own work through storytelling, music and performance.
The Last Machine Breaker Creative Team
Neil Balfour
Indian-Scottish Neil Balfour is an award-winning Contemporary Baritone. He started his musical journey as a frontman in the pop-punk band Oversight before going on to study piano and conducting at Leeds Conservatoire. He then specialised in voice at The Royal Northern College of Music and is proud to be a Britten-Pears and Samling artist.
His love of modern and innovative vocal music have led to over 17 world premieres and performances including his own show at the Glastonbury Festival, Perfume Concerts at the Oxford International Song Festival, beatboxing at Longborough Festival Opera and the creation of many operas for young people. Upcoming engagements include Tom in Tales Untapped (world premiere) for The Royal Ballet and Opera; Adam in The last Machine Breaker (world premiere) for Bradford Opera Festival; Jacob in Displaced (world premiere) for CoAlign; and the premiere of Untold Lives (a new song cycle about Indian Soldiers in WWI created by Neil Balfour and Cheryl Frances-Hoad) for the Oxford International Song Festival.
Highlights include his American debut as Father in Thumbprint for Portland
Opera; recording various characters in Alice Through the Looking Glass (world premiere) for the London Symphony Orchestra; Safin in The Shoemaker (world premiere) for Welsh National Opera; and Jean Arp in Sophie (world premiere) for Tête à Tête. Neil is an sE Artist (world-class microphones) and is proud to be supported by Penhaligon’s British Perfumers, VivoBarefoot shoes, Mason Cycles, Hunt Wheels and Tailfin Bikepacking equipment for his endeavours to travel more sustainably.
Neil is also an adventure cyclist and his work as a voiceover artist has had over 100 million plays.
Daisy Mitchell
Daisy is a mezzo-soprano from Staffordshire Moorlands. She is currently a student at the Royal Northern College of Music, studying with Sam Queen. Daisy also continues to be taught by Amanda Roocroft.
On stage, recent roles include: Kate Owen Wingrave (Britten) RNCM, Lazuli L’etoile (Chabrier) RNCM, Nicklaus The Tales of Hoffman (Preston Opera). Daisy was a Young Artist at Buxton Opera Festival 2025 and Waterperry Opera Festival 2023. Daisy has also performed in the chorus at the Grange Festival 2021. In scenes, Daisy has performed the roles of Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Nancy (Albert Herring), Idamante (Idomeneo), Dritte Dame (Die Zauberflöte) & Sally (A Hand of Bridge).
Daisy was a finalist in the RNCM Joyce & Michael Kennedy Award for Strauss in 2024 & 2025. She was also a finalist in the Frederick Cox Prize in 2024. Daisy was a Junior Finalist in the Charles Wood Song Competition 2022. Daisy has performed in masterclasses with Ailish Tynan, Dame Ann Murray and Sarah Connolly as a performer in the inaugural Bailey Consort Singers’ Symposium 2024.
As a soloist for oratorio, notable engagements include Bach’s St John Passion with Skipton Camerata, Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen at the RNCM with the Academy of Ancient Music and The Dream of Gerontius with Stockport Symphony Orchestra. Other solo oratorio repertoire includes Schubert’s Mass in Ab, Haydn’s Missa Sancti Nicolai, Durufle’s Requiem.
In Spring 2026, Daisy will join the chorus of Opera North in their production of Britten’s Peter Grimes.
Daisy is generously supported by Help Musicians, The Headley Trust Awards and the Alice Orrell and A&N Kendall Award.
Emma Williams
Emma trained at Wiimbledon School of Art. Opera designs in Yorkshire include A Soldier’s Tale with Ben Crick and Skipton Camerata and A Pocketful of Stars with Omar Shahryar at Laurence Batley Theatre.
The majority of her designs are creative collaborations on new writing, dance and multi sensory performance. Some recent examples are Womb Party, a ground breaking dance theatre piece made for The Place with Stefania Pinato and Amarnah Amaludun, Drift an immersive sensory design for Interplay Theatre and a multimedia show called The Engagement Party for Oldham Coliseum, with a 50 strong cast and live band.
Mic Pool – Video Designer
Mic’s video designs include, Dangerous Corner, Solid Gold Cadillac, Bad Girls The Musical (Garrick Theatre); Ying Tong (Ambassadors Theatre); Der Ring Des Nibelungen (Royal Opera House,Covent Garden); The Tokyo Ring Cycle (New National Thearte Tokyo); Il Travatore, The Turk in Italy (English National Opera); Il Tabarro, Chorus (Welsh National Opera); Singin in the Rain (National Theatre) Bullet Tongue, Blaze FM, The Realness (Big House) Beryl, Single Spies ( Rose Theatre Kingston) Queen of the Nile (Hull Truck) Smoking with Lulu (Soho Theatre);The Final Vision (Dark Arches, Cultural Olympiad 2012) Any Which Way, His Teeth (Only Connect); Mission to Mars (Unlimited Theatre/Polka) Wizard of Oz, Johnson Over Jordan, Death of a Salesman, Don Quixote. Scuffer, Crap Dad (West Yorkshire Playhouse).Mic is also a Tony award-winning Sound designer and has designed the sound for over three hundred productions worldwide over the last forty years.
Tom Blackband – Lighting Design and & Technician
Tom lit his first show whilst still at school and got the bug from there. He has since designed lighting for bands, cabaret shows, musicals, theatre, and pantomimes. Notable highlights are The City Varieties Pantomimes, The Parting Glass for Red Ladder, Pick n Mix for Leeds Studio, Stolen Stories of Winterlight for Libellule Theatre, and Otherhood for Old Bird Theatre. He is looking forward to lighting this hybrid opera for Bradford Opera Festival.
Si Brewis – Company Manager & Production Assistant
Si has been creating, producing, and managing thoughtful storytelling theatre projects in West Yorkshire for at least twenty years.
They are particularly interested in large-scale community theatre projects, & touring theatre that unpacks social histories and political hot topics. Si has a strident socialist, anti-imperialist, and intersectional feminist worldview, & their work, and the work they do for others, reflects this.
Si first worked for Alex & her team on the musical political history show Chisholm for President, & is excited to be part of this team delivering a modern opera that thinks about the impact of new technologies on workers’ lives.
Anna Powell – Plays Obo
Anna studied the oboe at the RNCM. Through studying with Melinda Maxwell, Anna became interested in contemporary music for the oboe and at the other end of the spectrum Anna has also enjoyed playing the baroque oboe, studying with Anthony Robson, and has performed on it for operas, recitals and a European tour with The Kings Consort.
Anna has won various prizes and scholarships and has played with orchestras throughout Europe and Asia. Soon after graduating from RNCM Anna enjoyed touring the UK with the shows ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ and ‘Mary Poppins’. In the UK Anna has worked with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Manchester Camerata amongst others and has worked with Ben Crick lots including in Skipton Camerata. When not making oboe reeds… Anna enjoys running and making sourdough bread!
Tom Collingwood – Plays Cello
Thomas Collingwood is a freelance cellist and viola da gamba player based in Yorkshire. He performs regularly with orchestras and ensembles across the UK and internationally, contributing to a wide range of musical projects from chamber music to large-scale productions. Locally, Thomas is involved in collaborative work that highlights Yorkshire’s cultural landscape, often partnering with artists and historians to explore regional themes through performance. His playing is grounded in a thoughtful, expressive style, shaped by years of experience and a genuine love for live music. Whether on stage or in rehearsal, Thomas values collaboration, clarity, and a good cup of coffee. He enjoys the variety that freelance life brings—from intimate recitals to touring engagements—and continues to seek out opportunities that connect music with community and place.
Christopher Jones – Plays Violin
Canadian violinist Christopher Jones has established himself as one of today’s most versatile and compelling artists, earning acclaim for his “exquisite playing” (The Strad) and performances that have been hailed as “a voice from another planet” (The Arts Desk, Wigmore Hall).
As a founding member of the Gildas Quartet, Christopher has appeared at prestigious venues throughout Europe, China, and Australia. A passionate advocate for the music of living composers, Christopher also often plays with the acclaimed Ligeti Quartet.
This past season, Christopher guest led Opera North, directed the Northern Chamber Orchestra from the violin in programmes including Beethoven’s 7th Symphony and Mozart’s 40th Symphony, and appeared as a soloist for concertos by Auerbach and Mozart.
A committed educator, Christopher serves on the music faculty of the University of York. He performs on a magnificent 1715 Pietro Guarneri of Mantua violin.
Matt Crossley – French Horn (recently added)
Matt grew up in East Yorkshire, where his early interest in music developed into a lifelong passion. He went on to study at the University of Huddersfield, where he gained a strong foundation in performance and musical theory, before continuing his training at the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Over the years, Matt has built a versatile career as a freelance musician, performing across a wide range of genres and settings throughout the UK. Now based in Manchester, he is active as both a performer, working in orchestras, shows, ballet and opera productions.