University College Opera The brainchild of the conductor Anthony Addison, (UCL's then Director of Music), University College Opera gave its first performance in 1951 with an all-student production of Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas", followed by Mozart's "Bastien und Bastienne". Even in its earliest years, the company's annual repertoire concentrated on rarely performed operas including: Nicolai's "The Merry Wives of Windsor" (1952), Bizet's "Don Procopio" (1955) and Lortzing's "Der Wildschütz" (1958). In 1961, the company staged its first UK premiere, Moniuszko's "Halka". During its first 17 years, UCOpera's performances took place in the old gymnasium at University College. With the opening of the college's
Ivana Fišer Institute orchestra. As a conductor, Fišer debuted in 1933 while directing the comic opera Bastien und Bastienne with Zagreb philharmonic orchestra. From 1939 to 1941, she led the Zagreb Red Cross orchestra. Until 1941, she also led the Osijek philharmonic orchestra. From 1947 to 1965, Fišer worked as a prompter at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. Ivana Fišer Ivana Fišer (born Fischer; June 13, 1905 – September 7, 1967) was known Croatian Jewish conductor. Fišer was born in Zagreb on June 13, 1905 to a Jewish family of well-known Croatian architect Ignjat Fischer and his wife Helena (née Egersrodfer).