Six young singers from Oxfordshire schools have beaten off fierce competition to take part in Mozart's The Magic Flute at this year's Garsington Opera.

They will perform on the festival's opening night, June 9, and six subsequent nights during the month-long event.

Nicholas Ashby, Misha Brazier Tope and Andy Softley, preparing for the big day.

Edmund Caird and Ben King are from Abingdon School. Misha and Andrew Bell are pupils at Isis Middle School. Nicholas is from Cheney School and Andy is from Marston Middle School. They were selected from more than 40 boys and will join a cast of 13 and a chorus of 20.

Garsington Opera spokesman Clare Adams said: "They all have fantastic voices and did very well against stiff competition."

Garsington Opera is held each summer in the grounds Garsington Manor, the home of Leonard Ingrams. Mr Ingrams this year won a legal battle to be allowed to increase the number of seats by 24 to 484. Some villagers have complained about noise from the events.

**Picture: Richard Cave