Partnerships

Music Hubs

We work closely with Music Education Hubs in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove, contributing on a strategic level to develop and improve singing and vocal provision for young people in the region, and working together to deliver activity in support of our shared aims.  

Higher Education

We work in partnership with universities and higher education institutions in Sussex and across our residencies to provide access to Glyndebourne expertise and opera insight for students across a range of disciplines, and to develop and contribute to research linked to Learning & Engagement themes.

Ash Stewart

The opera house is a really intriguing environment buzzing with imagination in a beautiful location that I would love to respond to. I am interested in what I could find there, loose scraps of sets, objects left behind by patrons below their seats or in the gardens after picnics perhaps, or oddities and patterns around the site that catch my attention.

It’s a rich space full of human creation and whilst I loved exploring the gardens during my visit to be able to really sink my teeth onto the nitty gritty, nooks and crannies of the place would be incredible.

The world of storytelling through opera is one that I am unfamiliar with but absolutely enchanted me when we visited and I would adore the chance to become better acquainted and be able to share with my students, and I can’t think of any greater way to do so than through my art making. 

Mair Elen Park

This opportunity to retreat into the Sussex landscape and be immersed in the arts, nature, community, history and the magic of the summer festival would be a game changer. It would allow me the space and inspiration to re-engage with my own artwork, taking all my explorations and growth from the last year and channelling it into a body of work that attempts to capture the extraordinary experience of Glyndebourne. I would relish the opportunity of exhibiting in such a prestigious space, working with and learning from the curator.

I’m fascinated by conveying narrative in a static image, and opera would provide a powerful start. I’d be particularly excited to experience The Rake’s Progress, as I am intrigued by Hockney’s designs—how he bounces off Hogarth—and similarly how Stravinsky subverts Mozart: the idea of the pastiche, and borrowing and manipulating arts over time. Lubaina Himid’s artwork has influenced and inspired me for years, so I would be thrilled to spend time with her bold, rich paintings and objects in the gallery.

I’d love to engage with the props, costumes and archives, in order to research, explore and document. The opportunity to observe rehearsals, exploring ways to respond visually to the performance and sounds, would be a powerful creative stimulus. This ‘cross-pollination’ between music and art is an area I’ve researched heavily and endeavour to embed into teaching. I would constantly gather ideas for collaboration and inspiration to take into school. 

Tessa Molden

I am hugely excited by the possibility of my practice being transported by the realm of opera.

In my paintings, I take everyday moments and translate them into poetic portals—a quality that I would be looking to take further in this Residency. With a focus on A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Semele, I would aim to look into how themes of love and desire are portrayed through the visual, aural, and spatial elements of theatre design.

Nature is also a key component of my practice, which I fluidly portray in connection with the urban environment. This is something that I would aim to develop through the Residency, creating paintings and drawings of both Glyndebourne’s grounds and the inner workings of the opera house, shedding light on how the two interconnect.

I am also excited by the possibility of having access to Glyndebourne’s Archives to explore past materials related to light design. Light is a key component of my paintings, and during this Residency, I would be looking to dive deeper into its use in opera productions at Glyndebourne. With the view of including elements from the archive into the October exhibition, I would hope to share this resource with visitors.

The opportunity to gain access to Glyndebourne’s Learning and Engagement workshops is also of key interest to me as a trainee teacher. With a passion for facilitating learning experiences related to the arts, I would be very keen to gain insight into how Glyndebourne connects its programmes to young people.