Glyndebourne to stage the largest mainstage community opera in its history

Spokeswoman Eleanor Crawforth said: “The amateur singers and musicians range in age from teenagers to adults and will perform alongside professionals in the world premiere of Uprising, a new opera by acclaimed composer Jonathan Dove and writer April De Angelis about climate change and young people.

“Appearing on stage will be a community chorus of 110 singers made up of 60 young people (aged 14-19) and 51 adults from across Sussex, along with eight drummers from the Brighton & Hove Percussion Ensemble.

“A further 24 young instrumentalists, predominantly from Brighton and East Sussex Youth Orchestra, will appear in the orchestra pit, playing alongside professional musicians from the Glyndebourne Sinfonia and players from the Jerwood Pit Perfect scheme, a talent development programme for recently graduated instrumentalists.

“Open auditions for Glyndebourne's new community opera were held last summer at various locations across the local area, offering those living within 25 miles of Glyndebourne the opportunity to take part in the production. Applications from those whose backgrounds are currently underrepresented in the world of opera were actively encouraged.

“Uprising’s community chorus will join a professional cast including Ffion Edwards, Madeleine Shaw, Julieth Lozano Rolong, Ross Ramgobin and Nkululeko Innocent Masuku, the South African tenor who recently reached the final of ITV series Britain’s Got Talent.

“Exploring the themes of youth activism and the climate crisis, Uprising looks at the state of the world through the eyes of the young, and asks whether one person has the power to make a difference. ‘How can someone as small as me change anything?’, asks Lola, the opera’s teenage protagonist, horrified by the destruction of the rainforests. The plot follows a mother and a daughter navigating their relationship through a time of personal and global turmoil.”

Ivor Novello Award-winner Jonathan Dove composed Glyndebourne’s first community opera, Hastings Spring, on Hastings Pier in 1990. His breakthrough work, the 1998 opera Flight, was subsequently commissioned by Glyndebourne and has since been performed over 150 times worldwide. The environment has been a central theme of Dove’s work for over 20 years.

He said: “Uprising is my fifth and most urgent operatic attempt to write about the biggest thing that’s happening, this time through the eyes of a teenage girl who becomes an activist. It’s inspired by Greta Thunberg and Fridays for the Future, and the search for a sustainable way of living.”

The development of the project also involved a collaboration with Human Hive, a global organisation working to train and empower ChangeMakers – people taking action to build a better world. They worked with Glyndebourne on a year-long series of workshops to engage the teenage participants in the ways in which they can change the world through opera.

The production will be directed by Sinéad O’Neill and designed by Ana Inés Jabares-Pita. Uprising will be produced as sustainably as possible, with the aim that all scenery and costumes are either re-used, rented or recycled and will go on to a further life once the production finishes.

Glyndebourne’s artistic director Stephen Langridge said: “Glyndebourne has a long tradition of commissioning community operas. Uprising, the largest scale to date, responds to the climate emergency – in the eyes of most young people, the single most important issue facing us. We are excited to be on this journey which will culminate in over a hundred young people and community members working alongside professional singers and orchestral musicians on Glyndebourne stage.”

Visit glyndebourne.com. Performances of Uprising will take place on Friday, February 28 at 7pm, Saturday, March 1 at 3pm and Sunday, March 2 at 3pm. There will also be a dedicated performance for schools on Wednesday, February 26 at 11am.