A message from Gus Christie, Executive Chairman
Dear Members,
What a summer! Certainly not the season we had anticipated but we are delighted to have been able to reopen the gardens and perform some concerts and our first ever outdoor opera! I hope that many of you were able to see it and apologies that we could not accommodate more of you.
As I hope I expressed in my last letter to you which accompanied the recent newsletter, Glyndebourne is again indebted to its extraordinary Members. Your continued support means we remain optimistic about our future, despite this long-running crisis. It’s now clear that the cancellation of this year’s Festival will result in a multi million- pound cash outflow in 2020, with more to come over the next couple of years. Despite strong fundraising efforts, there can be no doubt that we have a long road ahead and the impact of this global pandemic is likely to be felt for the next decade. And yet, with your ongoing commitment and passion for Glyndebourne, we are confident that we have an audience who are invested in our survival.
Thank you.
Your feedback to the last newsletter, with its frank summary of our COVID-19 situation, highlighted how much you value our openness, honesty and being part of the Glyndebourne family. This autumn we’ll continue to give you an insider view with a new series entitled Creative Conspirators, the name inspired by the audacious endeavour my grandparents undertook in founding Glyndebourne, a spirit which continues to drive us today. For Members only, these regular updates will be an opportunity to meet those who work behind the scenes and hear, in a personal way, some of our latest news.
This autumn will also be rich in insights into next year’s Festival. From sparkling summer comedies Il Turco in Italia, Così fan tutte and Die Zauberflöte to tragic intensity in Káťa Kabanová and Luisa Miller, Festival 2021 takes us from ecstasy to despair and back again, climaxing in the greatest operatic love-story of them all: Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. It feels a very fitting return to the main stage.
Though we feel optimistic that Festival 2021 will go ahead, the recent delay to the restarting of indoor performances has reinforced our decision not to publish a Festival brochure or share the performance schedule for next summer until the beginning of the New Year – avoiding, we hope, the need to make changes. Ballot timings will also be a little later, falling in January and February. We hope you’ll agree that these steps are prudent, in the current circumstances, and designed to ensure that your Festival 2021 experience is as smooth as possible, even before you arrive at Glyndebourne.
Inevitably in such fast-moving times, email has become an even more essential means of communicating with you; please keep an eye on your inbox for our updated news and information, including an enhanced range of Member benefits. We promise not to bombard you.
Finally, a reminder that we hope you’ll help secure our future by inviting others to join the family as a Member, and claim a £100 gift voucher for every successful referral made or gift of membership given. Returning to where I started: Members have never been so vital to Glyndebourne. Thank you again, from us all.
Gus Christie