Just in: Glyndebourne is off

Glyndebourne opera festival has bowed to the inevitable.

With a very heavy heart, we have taken the decision to cancel all remaining Festival 2020 performances. It was our hope to open on 14 July, but the persistence of the COVID-19 global pandemic has made it impossible for us to guarantee the safety of Company members and audiences. We have launched the Glyndebourne Emergency COVID-19 Appeal to help our artists and seasonal staff – two thirds of our workforce – who face a devastating loss of income from this closure, and to help ensure Glyndebourne’s continuity so we can be here for everyone in the future. Full details about this appeal and ticket refunds can be found on glyndebourne.com

We are determined that Glyndebourne will share music this summer, however, and so we are delighted to announce that our first ever virtual festival, Glyndebourne Open House, will open on Sunday 24 May. We will be bringing the Glyndebourne Festival experience direct to people’s homes by streaming a full-length opera, for free, on Glyndebourne’s YouTube channel at 5pm every Sunday, and helping the public to recreate an afternoon at the Festival in their own homes.