Opera a la Carte (UK) Opera a la Carte (UK) Opera a la Carte is a UK-based chamber opera company located in London. It was founded in 1993 by its present General Director, Nicholas Heath, who was a member of the chorus of the Royal Opera from 1993 to 2006. Since 1996, its wide range of operas performed runs from "La traviata" to the 2011 season "Rigoletto" taking in the popular Mozart operas such as "Don Giovanni" and "The Marriage of Figaro" and those of Puccini, such as "Tosca" and "La boheme". There are more thrills and spills in a terrific, tiny- budget “Tosca” from
France–Japan relations (19th century) on July 11, 1854, following his treaty with Japan. A French cruiser arrived in Shimoda in early 1855 while the USS "Powhatan" was still there with the ratified treaty, but was denied contacts as a formal agreement did not exist between France and Japan. France sent an embassy under Rear-Admiral Cécille onboard "La Virginie" in order to obtain similar advantages to those of other Western powers. A convention was signed on November 24, 1855. During the 19th century, numerous attempts by Western countries were made (other than by the Dutch, who already had a trade post in Dejima) to open