Stephen Langridge, Artistic Director of Glyndebourne
, said: ‘The Glyndebourne Opera Cup seeks to find the most exciting young
singers in opera. There should be no barriers to the expression of talent,
but we have to recognise that in reality there are, and Glyndebourne is
committed to removing as many as possible in order to make the Opera Cup as
inclusive as it can be. We don't claim to have all the answers, nor do we
think that we can do this on our own; we’ll be working closely with others
to help us recruit a diverse pool of singers. By celebrating and supporting
excellent young artists, we aim to show that opera is available for
everyone and hope to inspire young singers of all backgrounds to see their
future in this fabulous art form. The goal for all of us must be for the
opera world to become a genuinely diverse artistic working environment,
both on and off stage, which can better reflect the complex society in
which we live.’
The inaugural Glyndebourne Opera Cup in 2018 was shortlisted for a Royal
Television Society Award. The winner, American mezzo-soprano Samantha
Hankey, will make her Metropolitan Opera debut this season and three of the
2018 finalists will perform at Glyndebourne in 2019 and 2020.
Building on the success of 2018, and with the continued support of Sky
Arts, the focus in 2020 is on attracting exciting singers from all
backgrounds. To do this the competition will:
· Visit twice as many international cities, with preliminary heats in
London, Berlin, Paris, New York, Cape Town, Vienna and Milan
· Remove the economic barriers to entry with the offer of Sky Arts
Bursaries to cover the costs of travel and accommodation to compete in the
semi-final and final of the competition at Glyndebourne
· Launch a major social media campaign to drive awareness of the
competition among a broad pool of potential applicants with the help of
ambassadors from across the classical music world
Through the work of its education department, Glyndebourne is already
delivering initiatives that target some of the systemic reasons for a lack
of diversity in classical music. These include the Glyndebourne Academy,
which offers training and support to singers who face challenges in
pursuing a career such as personal circumstances, a lack of career
guidance, limited access to skills development or financial barriers.
Philip Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts
, said: ‘At Sky Arts we are passionate about broadening out participation
in every art form and finding new talent from diverse backgrounds; that’s
why we are proud to partner with Glyndebourne on their second Opera Cup to
help unearth the opera stars of the future.’
Julie Heathcote, Factory Films Executive Producer
, said: ‘Factory are delighted to be again producing the Glyndebourne Opera
Cup for Sky Arts. It was an honour to be part of the inaugural competition
in 2018, and we loved helping to create a series that would entertain both
newcomers to opera and the most ardent opera lovers. In March 2020, we’ll
once again be broadcasting the finals live, bringing all the drama and
excitement from Glyndebourne's beautiful auditorium to Sky’s audience at
home. We can’t wait!’
The competition jury features representatives from top international opera
houses along with leading singers, including British opera legends Sir
Thomas Allen and Dame Felicity Lott and the GRAMMY Award-winning South
Korean soprano Sumi Jo. Dame Janet Baker will once again act as honorary
president. The jury includes:
· Stephen Langridge, Artistic Director of Glyndebourne
· Steven Naylor, Director of Artistic Administration, Glyndebourne
· Joan Matabosch, Artistic Director, Teatro Real de Madrid
· Michel Franck, General Director, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
· Maria Mot, Associate Director, Vocal & Opera, Intermusica
· Sumi Jo, soprano
· Sir Thomas Allen, baritone
· Dame Felicity Lott, soprano
The competition focuses on selected composers or strands of the repertoire
each time it is held. In 2020, singers will be invited to perform operatic
arias by Mozart, Rossini and a selection of French 19th-century composers.
Applications for the Glyndebourne Opera Cup open on 1 September 2019. To be
eligible, singers must be aged between 21-32 at the time of the final on 7
March 2020.
Visit glyndebourne.com.
