Title Xxxx ANNUAL REPORT 2020 GLYNDEBOURNE ANNUAL REPORT 2020 1 2020 at a glance We welcomed a new decade in awarded their prize for the most us at Glyndebourne, wrote a short success garnering 850,000 views. 2020 under the cloud of a growing engaging and communicative clapping piece entitled Applause pandemic, not sure where it was performance to Sungho Kim. The 2020 that featured 40 collaborators Running alongside this the going to take us. Proceeding with final was broadcast on Sky Arts. – conductors, directors, singers – government’s Covid-19 restrictions caution we managed to hold the filmed at home and edited into a were relaxed over the summer semi-final (4 March) and final (7 Following the closure of the 25-second celebration. months, which allowed us to March) of our singing competition Glyndebourne site on 23 March, we invite visitors back into the – The Glyndebourne Opera Cup announced the full cancellation We then launched our first gardens, and then to stage outdoor – before the British government of Festival 2020 on 5 May and Glyndebourne Open House digital performances. We hosted over 3,500 locked the country down to limit launched our Covid-19 Emergency festival which saw us stream 15 visitors to the gardens to picnic the spread of Covid-19 for the first Appeal to help support our operas, one every Sunday evening and enjoy the grounds, including time on 23 March. community of freelance artists, at 5.00pm via YouTube for free. Each a day devoted to the NHS and key orchestras and seasonal staff, the opera featured a specially-filmed workers as a token of thanks. The American baritone Edward results of which are detailed in introduction from a conductor, Nelson won first prize in our later pages of this Annual Report. director or singer featured in the Thankfully the summer weather second singing competition. The Glyndebourne is extremely grateful opera. Launched on 24 May with in 2020 was warm and dry as work James Bellorini standard of the 20 semi-finalists, for all the support we have received The Marriage of Figaro, it was a huge began with our technical teams Gus Christie, Executive Chairman chosen from over 200 applicants over the past year which has, from 39 different countries, was together with government support very high. Six singers were chosen packages, helped to keep us afloat. to compete in the final for the top prize of £15,000 and the guarantee As many of us worked at and stayed of a role within five years at one of at home during the summer of 2020 the top international opera houses we felt it was important to share a represented on the competition’s little bit of Glyndebourne remotely. jury. They were accompanied by the We began with a series of ‘Peaceful London Philharmonic Orchestra, Moments’ – eight well-known conducted by Jordan de Souza. singers who have appeared on the Other winners were Alexandra Lowe Glyndebourne stage sang folk or in second place and Eric Ferring traditional songs from their homes, in third place. The Audience Prize, to offer a bit of respite during voted on by the live audience at uncertain times. As we stood on Glyndebourne, was awarded to our doorsteps to clap for the NHS Meigui Zhang and the Ginette and key workers, in recognition Theano Prize for Most Promising of all the work they were doing in Talent, was presented to Siphokazi fighting the pandemic, we decided Molteno. The Glyndebourne Youth it would be fitting to create a piece Jury, made up of young singers of work to celebrate those on the Cover: Socially-distanced aged 16-21 who have taken part in frontline. The composer Jonathan picnics, summer 2020 Glyndebourne talent development Dove, who has a long history of Photo: James Bellorini and youth opera programmes, creating community operas with Sam Stephenson GLYNDEBOURNE ANNUAL REPORT 2020 1 2020 at a glance on building two outdoor stages conducted by Aidan Oliver that was followed by our outdoor reduced, semi-staged version in early July. For our series of featuring works by Beethoven, operetta In the Market for Love – a of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, five outdoor performances we worked Mozart and Jonathan Dove. These new version by Stephen Plaice of festive Christmas Concerts and with our house orchestras the ran until 9 August and were Jacques Offenbach’s Mesdames de la one orchestral concert from the London Philharmonic Orchestra repeated with six further concerts Halle, with a vocal setting by Marcia OAE, conducted by Sir Mark Elder, (LPO) and the Orchestra of the in early September. Entitled Bellamy and directed by Stephen with soloists Emma Bell, David Age of Enlightenment (OAE), our ‘Reverberations in Nature’ the Langridge. Glyndebourne staged Butt Philip and violinist Alina Music Director, the conductor LPO’s Garden Concerts featured ten sold-out performances of this Ibragimova. Robin Ticciati and Aidan Oliver, works by Gabrieli, Wagner, Ives, double bill throughout August Glyndebourne’s Chorus Director. Mahler and Takemitsu, conducted 2020. Elsewhere, during the lockdown by Robin Ticciati with soloist furloughed staff made masks and The summer season kicked off on Karen Cargill. Launched on 12 As the summer drew to a close scrubs or donated PPE to local Our Production Hub was quiet and 21 July with nine performances August these concerts formed Glyndebourne was able to hospices, while others volunteered empty during lockdown 1, April 2020 of the OAE Garden Concerts, Part I of a two-part afternoon celebrate 27 outdoor performances to drive people to hospital, when back in March this felt redistributed surplus food to impossible. As we were getting frontline charities or made up care used to adapting to ever-changing packages for key workers. circumstances in adverse times we made a documentary – No Our Learning & Engagement (L&E) Ordinary Summer – that captured the department [formerly Education atmosphere of the extraordinary department] also adapted and year, celebrating the commitment found ways to continue their work of Glyndebourne’s staff in keeping with people with dementia and live performance alive. It was their carers through the Raise Your broadcast on Sky Arts and watched Voice project by making videos by 67,000 viewers. and supporting material to ensure that this vulnerable group had As indoor performances were still musical continuity. They also prohibited Glyndebourne cancelled launched an Arts Award at Home its 2020 Tour but announced on programme. Arts Award inspires 31 August, again when Covid-19 young people to grow their arts restrictions were eased, that it and leadership talents and results would stage a ‘staycation’ series in a national qualification. During of socially-distanced indoor 2020 many young people engaged performances, starting on 10 in costume and prop making, October 2020 with a programme of art and music activities through concerts and a small-scale opera Arts Award at Home and Primary in front of a reduced audience. School Backstage Tours with 189 The autumn season opened with Arts Award Discover & Explore a revival of In the Market for Love certificates awarded through the Sam Stephenson followed by performances of a year. GLYNDEBOURNE ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2 2020 at a glance A group of young singers Lewis Murphy’s Belongings, a piece from Glyndebourne’s talent commissioned by Glyndebourne development programmes – Youth and premiered by GYO in 2017. Opera, Junior Performers and Working together in mixed groups Academy participants and alumni over Zoom on a collaborative – joined forces during lockdown for project they created mandala a project called Vocal Task Master, a images, poetry and film to convey weekly video call during which the their feelings of isolation, distance young singers performed to each and turmoil. other and provided feedback and support. Glyndebourne will never forget 2020, but we do hope that falling The Place Beyond Tomorrow, a Covid cases and the roll out of the collaborative project between vaccine programme across the UK Glyndebourne Youth Opera (GYO) will ensure a return to normality and Project Opera in Minnesota soon. With socially-distanced, also took place during lockdown. reduced houses Festival 2021 The connection started in February opened on 20 May and we look 2020 when Project Opera staged a forward to growing our audiences new production in Minneapolis of again this year. Composer Jonathan Dove wrote a short clapping piece entitled Applause 2020 that featured 40 collaborators – conductors, directors, singers – to celebrate the work of the NHS and key workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. GLYNDEBOURNE ANNUAL REPORT 2020 3 Environmental, Social and Governance James Bellorini Environmental, Social and Governance Environmental Sustainability Glyndebourne is committed • We were delighted to get planning At Glyndebourne we are very concerned about the impact of climate change to continuing to improve its permission and the very generous and the worldwide dependence on the dwindling supply of fossil fuels. We environmental performance and support of Charles Holloway to are committed to being industry leaders in minimising both our direct and has signed up to the Spotlight enable us to commence work on indirect impact on the environment, and encouraging everyone we engage Programme, which is being a new building created almost with to do the same. We aim to ensure that environmentally responsible delivered by Julie’s Bicycle on behalf entirely from local recycled management and operational procedures are fundamental to all that we do of Arts Council England. Over the materials including Ash from the and that we encourage a culture where all staff feel a personal responsibility four years 2018-2022 the programme hundreds of trees we had to fell to help us to minimise the carbon impact of Glyndebourne on the planet.