Glyndebourne Performances for Schools

“…The most imaginative opera-education department in the country.”

- Michael Church, The Independent

Over three thousand students from local schools will see a new adaptation of Mozart’s The Magic Flute at Glyndebourne opera house later this month.

Part of Glyndebourne’s popular Performances for Schools programme, there will be four performances of The Magic Flute at the opera house on Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th December. Premiered at the 2009 Brighton Festival, this new production exclusively for young people offers an exciting introduction to opera for local primary schools. Featuring Glyndebourne singers, it will be retold with a little help from the audience.

The performances mark the close of Glyndebourne on Tour, which this autumn visited six venues across the UK in its mission to widen access to opera and increase performance opportunities for young singers. Now in its 41st year, the 2009 Tour staged Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Verdi’s Falstaff and Janácek’s Janáček, reaching 98 per cent capacity in its three-week run at Glyndebourne alone. The Tour also visited Woking, Stoke-on-Trent, Milton Keynes, Norwich and Plymouth, where it will show all three productions this week.

Local schools attending the Magic Flute performances at Glyndebourne include:

St Pancras Catholic School, Hamsey Community Primary School, Sedlescombe Primary School, Newick C.E Primary School, Buxted C of E Primary School, Framfield CE Primary School, Wivelsfield C.P School, Burgess Hill High School for Girls and Ticehurst & Flimwell CE Primary; Downs Junior School, West Hove Junior School, Patcham House School, St Martins C.E Primary School, Woodingdean Primary School and Buckingham Park Primary School; Glyne Gap School, Laughton C.P School, Herstmonceux C of E School, Ocklynge Junior School, Moira House Junior School, and St. Johns Meads C.E.P.

Glyndebourne is the only opera company outside of London to present fully-staged opera performances exclusively for young people.

Glyndebourne Performances for Schools are supported by Arts Council England.