Learning & Engagement timeline

1986

1986

A schools project inspired by Britten which took place alongside Glyndebourne Tour performances

1987

A series of workshops based around the lore of the Long Man of Wilmington
Composer: Hugh Nankivell / Artist: Nick Martin / Producer: Robin Tebbutt / Singer: Robert Poulton / Choreographer: Katie Tearle

1990

Glyndebourne’s first community opera is performed on Hastings pier
Composer/Musical Director: Jonathan Dove / Librettist: Nicholas Ridout / Director: Tim Hopkins / Movement Director: Melly Still

1993

Performed in Ashford, Kent
Composer: Jonathan Dove / Librettist: Alistair Campbell / Director: Graham Devlin / Choreographer: Sean Walsh

1995

Performed in Peterborough, moving between Peterborough Cathedral and Queensgate Shopping Centre
Composer/Musical Director: Jonathan Dove / Librettist/Co-Director: Alistair Campbell Co-Director: Elizabeth Gorla / Choreographer/Co-Director: Sean Walsh

1995

Run in partnership with the West Sussex Probation service, creating a piece based on the Robin Hood myth
Director: Stephen Langridge / Librettist: Stephen Plaice

1997

The first youth opera commissioned for Glyndebourne’s main stage, and revived in 1998
Composer: John Lunn / Librettist: Stephen Plaice / Director: Stephen Langridge

1998

Production of Purcell’s timeless opera reimagined for the 1990s
Composer: Henry Purcell / Director: Michael Kennerley / Music Director: David Knotts / Choreographer: Erica Stanton

2000

Second main stage youth opera commission, broadcast later that year on Channel 4
Composer: John Lunn / Librettist: Stephen Plaice / Director: Stephen Langridge

2001

Commissioned for GYO and Brighton Youth Orchestra, and performed on tour in Germany and in Brighton
Conductor: Ian McCrae / Guest director: Alasdair Middleton / Props: Paul Gallagher

2002

Commissioned by Glyndebourne for Glyndebourne Youth Opera Group and Brighton Youth Orchestra in 2002. Performed on tour in Scotland and at Brighton Festival.
Composer: Will Todd / Librettist: Elizabeth Clarke Melville / Music Directors: Andrew Sherwood & Jonathan Gill / Director: Clare Whistler

2003

Commissioned by Glyndebourne for Glyndebourne Youth Opera Group and Brighton Youth Orchestra. Performed on tour in Spain and at Brighton Festival.
Composer: Orlando Gough / Librettist: John Agard / Conductors: Ian McCrae and Andrew Sherwood / Director: Clare Whistler

2004

Four new works about the four elements performed by GYO
Composer: Ian McCrae/Will Todd/Orlando Gough / Librettist: Jane Buckler/Elizabeth Clarke Melville/Ian McCrae/John Agard / Music Director: Ian McCrae/Jonathan Gill/Andy Sherwood / Director: Clare Whistler

2005

Two companion pieces presented at Yo! International Youth Opera Festival in Utrecht
Composer: Katherine Gillham / Music Director: Jonathan Gill / Director: Clare Whistler

2006

A ‘hip h’opera’ version of Mozart’s Cosí fan tutte, involving a collaboration between Glyndebourne and Finnish National Opera, as well as performers from opera houses in Germany.
Idea and Concept: Markus Kosuch / Adaptation and Musical Arrangements: Jonathan Gill & Charlie ‘The Baptist’ Parker / Adaptation and Text: Stephen Plaice / Director: Clare Whistler / Conductor: Jonathan Gill

2009

Two piece involving over 400 young people and adults, brought together by singing, marked the first public ever in Glyndebourne’s 75th birthday celebrations
Composer: Orlando Gough/John Barber and James Redwood / Librettist: Jehane Markham / Director: Clare Whistler/Hazel Gould / Music Director: Jonathan Gill/Rebecca Askew

2010

Main stage community opera featured in International Emmy Award winning BBC 2 documentary Gareth Goes to Glyndebourne
Composer: Julian Philips / Librettist: Nicky Singer / Conductor: Nicholas Colton / Director: John Fulljames / Movement Director: Ben Wright / Chorus Leader: Gareth Malone

2011

An adaptation of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, devised by teenage members of the community for a modern setting

Composer: Al Start / Director: Brendan Murray / Music Director: Dominic Harlan / Librettist: Tom Sissions and Brendan Murray

2012

An operatic development project which supports gifted and talented young singers

Artistic Director: Mary King

Devised performances inspired by Glyndebourne’s Wind Turbine

Music Directors: Russell Hepplewhite, Matt Greenwood, Lee Reynolds & Lea Cornthwaite / Directors: Natalie Roberts, Freya Wynn-Jones, Lucy Bradley & Karen Gillingham

2013

Main stage commission which won the Royal Philharmonic Society award for Learning and Participation

Composer: Orlando Gough / Librettist: Stephen Plaice / Director: Susannah Waters / Movement Director: Chris Tudor

Devised work inspired by the Britten centenary celebrations

Music Director: Lee Reynolds / Director: Lucy Bradley

2015

Four members of GYO performed in the 2015 Glyndebourne Festival production of Carmen

This chamber performance showcased the talents of GYO and members of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Experience programme

Composer: Henry Purcell / Music Director: Howard Moody / Director: Mary King / Movement Director: Karen Edwards

2016

A main stage youth opera, co-commissioned by Glyndebourne and the Royal Opera House adapted from the novel by Janne Teller

Composer: David Bruce / Librettist: Glyn Maxwell / Music Director: Sian Edwards / Director: Bijan Sheiban

A new composition by Young Composer-in-Residence, Lewis Murphy, performed during the long interval of the Festival production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Composer: Lewis Murphy / Music Director: Howard Moody / Director: Daisy Evans / Assistant Director: Mark Burns

2017

A main stage youth opera exploring the experiences of young people forced by war to flee their homes. Young Composer-in-Residence Lewis Murphy’s first large-scale opera.
Composer: Lewis Murphy / Librettist: Laura Attridge / Music Director: Lee Reynolds / Director: Lucy Bradley / Designer: Ellan Parry

2018

A unique collaboration between Glyndebourne Youth Opera and partners including Opera Circus, Crisis Classroom and Battle Festival.  A diverse group of young people and artists from across Europe and beyond came together at Battle Abbey in the summer of 2018 to learn from each other and to create new art exploring the theme of migration.

Artists and Facilitators:  Darren Abrahams, Khaldoun Alnajjad, Lucy Bradley, Judith Colman, Tim Corrigan, Laura Fatini, Annis Joslin, Cedoux Kadima, Alister O’Loughlin, Howard Moody, Jamal Al Sakka, Omar Shahryar

2019

A new opera by Howard Moody about love, loss and divided lands.

Composer: Howard Moody / Librettist: Anna Moody / Conductor: Howard Moody / Director: Simon Iorio

2022

A brand new youth opera retelling the tale of the Pied Piper.

Composed by Anna Appleby, Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade, Cecilia Livingston and Ailie Robertson – the participants in Balancing the Score.

Librettist: Hazel Gould / Conductor: Johann Stuckenbruck / Director: Stephen Langridge