Behaving Badly: Mozart and his librettist Da Ponte (Now booking)
Helen Astrid
- Regions:
- Surrey, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, London, Northern Ireland, Isle of Wight, Gloucestershire, Bristol, Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Shropshire, Staffordshire, West Mids, Hereford, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, East Riding, South Yorkshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Durham, Tyne & Wear, Northumberland, Aberdeen and North East, Tayside, Central and Fife, Edinburgh and Lothians, Glasgow and Strathclyde, Scotland South, Highland and Islands, Merthyr Tydfil, Powys, Newport, Monmouthshire, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot, Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Wrexham, Flintshire, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey
- Notice Period:
- Regular (more than one month's notice)
- Type:
- Professional
- Fee:
- Paid
- Category:
- Entertainment
- Updated:
- 5th August 2025
- Tagged:
- Mozart | History Of Opera | Classical Music | Entertainment
Step into the scandalous world of 18th-century opera, where genius and mischief meet in the legendary partnership between Mozart and the infamous librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte.
Opera expert Helen Astrid pulls back the velvet curtain to reveal the wild, witty, and often outrageous lives of these two towering figures; from Da Ponte’s womanising, gambling, and expulsion from the priesthood, to Mozart’s own rebellious streak and rakish charm, their shared love of satire, seduction, and social subversion gave birth to three of opera’s greatest masterpieces: Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte.
Helen explores how their tempestuous personalities shaped these brilliant works—and how the operas themselves are laced with lust, betrayal, and razor-sharp wit.
Review: "We loved it and can't wait to welcome you back to National Women’s Register again and again.....” Vicky Woolridge (NWR)
Views: 2068 | Enquiries: 1About Helen Astrid
Helen is an engaging and entertaining speaker and is an accredited Great British Speaker. Her talks are available in-person or online.
She graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, and performed as a soprano soloist at most of the major venues in the UK including English National Opera, Linbury Theatre Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Garsington Opera and Chelsea Opera at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank.
Appearing on television and radio such as BBC World News, The Paul O'Grady Show, Broadcasting House and BBC's Ask the Experts comes naturally to Helen. Her Ted Talk Tell me the truth about Opera has been viewed by 1000s. She is thrilled to be speaking at the V&A in Spring 2026 on Art in Opera.
Helen's portfolio career includes all the things she loves from public speaking, corporate training, conducting choirs, writing books and teaching. It gives her great pleasure to share her expertise and anecdotes in opera and to help spread the wonders of this art form.
Her talks include:
From Farce to Finale - Humour in Opera, When Art Sings - Paintings in Opera, A Night at the Opera, From Page to Stage - Operas inspired by Literature, Secrets of the World's Greatest Divas, Unwrapping Christmas Carols and The Magic of Mozart.
Previous speaking engagements have been for Courtauld Institute of Art, London, Cambridge University, Plymouth University, Marlborough College, Imperial College, Benslow Music and Bishopsgate Institute. Watch out for her talk In January 2026 at Lewes Speakers Festival.
Her book Singing Tips at your Fingertips described by Gary Lachman (The Guardian) as “the place to find the singer within” contains 365 singing tips and is an AMAZON bestseller available in Paperback, Kindle and Audible.
Helen lives in South-West London and enjoys German Expressionist art, architecture, travelling and tennis. How does she relax? With her cat on her lap snuggling-up with a book and glass of Burgundy!
Please don't hesitate to get in touch for more details.
Other Talks on SpeakerNet by Helen Astrid
Send a message to the speaker
If you are interested in this talk and wish to contact the speaker, please complete the following form: