Benjamin Britten coast close to Britten's homeland, awakened in him such longings for England that he knew he must return. He also knew that he must write an opera based on Crabbe's poem about the fisherman Peter Grimes. Before Britten left the US, Koussevitzky, always generous in encouraging new talent, offered him a $1,000 commission to write the opera. Britten and Pears returned to England in April 1942. During the long transatlantic sea crossing Britten completed the choral works "A Ceremony of Carols" and "Hymn to St Cecilia". The latter was his last large-scale collaboration with Auden. Britten had grown away from
Brown Opera Productions designers, production staff, and orchestra are all students. Directors and music directors are chosen at the end of the Fall semester and the operas themselves are usually in early or mid-April. BOP's most recent Spring production was "The Turn of the Screw" by Benjamin Britten. Performances are usually in Alumnae Hall on Pembroke Campus. Every year, BOP puts on an opera for children. Past productions have included a reduction of "The Magic Flute", "Hansel and Gretel" and a student-written opera, "The Frog Prince". The children's opera is only one of the many ways BOP reaches out to the Providence community.