“What if grief, like life, is a journey - and what if love goes on?” Nigel Linacre asked the audience in Chippenham over the weekend, as he opened his opera.

Nigel, from Chippenham, wrote the show, centred around grief and loss, after his son George, died last year. 

He decided to honour George’s passion for music by organising; "The Grief Opera- Love Goes on" with pianist Vladimir Miller.

The opera took place on October 22 at St Andrew’s Church in Chippenham.

Read more: Father turns grief into opera after losing rockstar son

Wiltshire Times: Vladimir Miller (left) and Nigel Linacre (right)Vladimir Miller (left) and Nigel Linacre (right) (Image: Nigel Linacre)

A starting point for the performances was George’s own bass music, such as some of his bass key as well as all of the chosen songs performed being influenced by him- making it so that he was a big part of the show.

Before the opera went ahead, Nigel said: “It might sound like an unusual thing to do, to go to an opera all about grief on a Saturday, but we’re hoping people can take away more from it than just that.”

But the event was a success, with a standing ovation at the end.

Nigel said: “There was absolute silence throughout the performance and then at the very end 120 people stood up.

“It was absolutely magical and the challenge throughout the evening for me was to, while remaining in touch for the emotion that I feel, not fall apart and once everyone was on my feet I was just lost- and more than one of us was crying.”

Some of Nigel’s family members were in the audience, as well as lots of people he knew well.

After the opera, lots of people offered Nigel comfort by going over to hug him.

“It was tough”, he said.

He added; “But it may be the case with grief that if you don’t face with it or work with it- perhaps nothing is changing.

“But if you do face grief when you can- and you might not as it might be too much, but when you can stay with it, work with it and let the tears flow, potentially after some time you might feel some kind of healing which can come.

“A number of people when leaving talked about it being cathartic and therapeutic, and at the same there was a sort of dampness under their eyes.”