Glyndebourne will go ahead this summer

Statement from the festival:

Glyndebourne committed to staging its 2021 festival, with adaptations to accommodate ongoing restrictions

Glyndebourne has confirmed its plans to proceed with its annual opera festival in 2021, with adaptations to ensure the show can go on, even if social distancing is still in place.

Glyndebourne Festival 2021 will run from 20 May until 29 August with new productions of Janáček’s Kát’a Kabanová, Rossini’s Il turco in Italia and Verdi’s Luisa Miller, alongside a revival of Mozart’s Così fan tutte. In a change to original plans, Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde will be presented as a semi-staged concert with a full orchestra, seated on the stage, to do justice to the opera’s epic score.

Stephen Langridge, Artistic Director of Glyndebourne, said: ‘We have been planning for a variety of scenarios to ensure we could adapt the Festival, in any way necessary, without lowering our artistic ambition. The plan we’re announcing draws on our experience of staging socially-distanced events in 2020 and gives us flexibility to accommodate any restrictions that might be in place this summer. I’m delighted to be going ahead with all three new productions, plans for which look astounding. After these months of enforced isolation, we are looking forward to being together again in Glyndebourne’s beautiful auditorium to share some extraordinary, inspiring evenings of live music and theatre. It promises to be a Festival like no other.’

Glyndebourne is carefully managing performer numbers and has adapted its working practices to ensure that performing companies will maintain physical distancing on stage, in the pit and in rehearsals.