Glyndebourne Festival Announces 80th Anniversary Season

· Robin Ticciati will conduct his first Glyndebourne Festival as Music Director. He is only the seventh conductor to hold the post in Glyndebourne's 80- year history, following in the distinguished line of Fritz Busch, Vittorio Gui, John Pritchard, Bernard Haitink, Andrew Davis and Vladimir Jurowski.

· The 2014 Festival opens with a new production of Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier directed by Richard Jones with Robin Ticciati conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Kate Royal makes her role debut as Feldmarschallin. Tara Erraught makes her role debut as Octavian and Teodora Gheorghiu makes her Glyndebourne debut in the role of Sophie.

· Robin Ticciati will conduct the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment for Glyndebourne's first ever production of Mozart's La finta giardiniera. The new production will be directed by Frederic Wake-Walker. Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke returns to Glyndebourne to sing the role of Don Anchise with Christiane Karg singing Sandrina and Gyula Orendt singing Nardo in his Glyndebourne debut.

· Verdi's La Traviata, Glyndebourne's third new production for 2014, returns to the Festival for the first time since 1988. It will be directed by Tom Cairns, who made his Glyndebourne debut in 1994 directing Harrison Birtwistle's The Second Mrs Kong. Sir Mark Elder will conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The role of Violetta is performed by Russian soprano Venera Gimadieva, making her Glyndebourne debut.

· Israeli conductor Omer Meir Wellber makes his UK and Glyndebourne debut conducting a revival of Graham Vick's 1994 production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. Andrei Bondarenko and Ekaterina Scherbachenko, who sang Marcello and Mimì in the 2012 production of Puccini's La bohème, make a welcome return to the Festival in the roles of Onegin and Tatyana.

· Jonathan Kent's 2011 production of Don Giovanni returns with Elliot Madore in the title role following his UK and Glyndebourne debut as Ramiro in the 2012 production of Ravel's L'heure espagnole. Andrés Orozco-Estrada will make his Glyndebourne debut conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

· Robert Carsen's 2011 production of Handel's Rinaldo will be revived with Ottavio Dantone returning to conduct the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. The production features the four countertenors Iestyn Davies, Tim Mead, Anthony Roth Costanzo and James Laing in the roles of Rinaldo, Goffredo, Eustazio and the Magician.

· Festival ticket prices for 2014 will range from £10 to £250.

Glyndebourne Festival Opera season
17 May - 25 August 2014

General public booking opens on 10 March 2014. Online booking via www.glyndebourne.com will open at midnight and telephone booking via the Glyndebourne Box Office (+44 (0) 1273 813813) will open at 10am.

New Productions

Richard Strauss Der Rosenkavalier

· A new production directed by Richard Jones.

· Glyndebourne's new Music Director Robin Ticciati conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

· Kate Royal makes her role debut as Feldmarschallin, having started her Glyndebourne career in the Chorus in 2004.

· Tara Erraught makes her role debut as Octavian, having previously performed at Glyndebourne in the 2010 Festival production ofHänsel und Gretel as the Sandman.

· Teodora Gheorghiu makes her Glyndebourne debut in the role of Sophie.

· With set design by Paul Steinberg, costume design by Nicky Gillibrand, movement direction by Sarah Fahie and lighting design by Mimi Jordan Sherin.

· With The Glyndebourne Chorus.

· 13 performances from 17 May to 3 July.

· The production is supported by The Monument Trust, and filming sponsored by The Gidlow-Jackson Family.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart La finta giardiniera

· Robin Ticciati conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

· Frederic Wake-Walker directs the first ever production of La finta giardiniera staged at Glyndebourne. He previously directed Glyndebourne's 2009 production of Julian Philips The Yellow Sofa.

· La finta giardiniera premiered in 1775, when Mozart was just 19.

· Austrian tenor Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke returns to Glyndebourne to play the role of Don Anchise after his most recent role in the 2013 Festival as the Dancing Master in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos.

· With design by Antony McDonald and lighting design by Lucy Carter.

· 15 performances from 28 June to 21 August.

· The production is supported by Dunard Fund and André and Rosalie Hoffmann.

Giuseppe Verdi La Traviata

· Sir Mark Elder conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

· Tom Cairns directs, having made his Glyndebourne debut in 1994 directing Harrison Birtwistle's The Second Mrs Kong.

· Violetta is performed by Russian soprano Venera Gimadieva who makes her Glyndebourne debut.

· American tenor Michael Fabiano makes his Glyndebourne debut as Alfredo.

· With design by Hildegard Bechtler and lighting design by Peter Mumford.

· With The Glyndebourne Chorus.

· 13 performances from 17 July to 23 August.

· The production is supported by Handel and Yvonne Evans.

Revivals

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin

· A revival of Graham Vick's 1994 Festival production.

· Omer Meir Wellber makes his Glyndebourne debut conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

· Andrei Bondarenko sings the title role. Winner of the 2011 Cardiff Singer of the World, he last performed at Glyndebourne as Marcello in the 2012 Festival production of La bohème.

· Ekaterina Scherbachenko, previously Mimì in the 2012 Festival production of La bohème, will perform the role of Tatyana.

· Ekaterina Sergeeva makes her Glyndebourne debut in the role of Olga.

· With design by Richard Hudson, choreography by Ron Howell and lighting design by Matthew Richardson.

· With The Glyndebourne Chorus.

· 15 performances from 18 May to 11 July.

· The production is supported by Lord and Lady Laidlaw.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni

· A revival of Jonathan Kent's 2011 Festival production.

· Conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada makes his Glyndebourne debut conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

· Canadian baritone Elliot Madore returns to Glyndebourne to perform the title role after his 2012 UK and Glyndebourne debut as Ramiro in Ravel's L'heure espagnole.

· Canadian soprano Layla Claire returns to perform the role of Donna Anna after her debut as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro in the 2012 Glyndebourne Tour.

· With design by Paul Brown, movement direction by Denni Sayers and lighting design by Mark Henderson.

· With The Glyndebourne Chorus.

· 14 performances from 7 June to 1 August.

· The production is supported by the Glyndebourne Don Giovanni syndicate.

George Frideric Handel Rinaldo

· A revival of Robert Carson's 2011 Festival production.

· Ottavio Dantone conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

· Countertenor Iestyn Davies returns to Glyndebourne to perform the title role having last performed in the 2008 Festival as Ottone inL'incoronazione di Poppea.

· English Counter-tenor Tim Mead returns to Rinaldo but this time in the role of Goffredo, having performed the role of Eustazio in the 2011 production.

· American countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo makes his Glyndebourne debut as Goffredo.

· Canadian Joshua Hopkins returns to Glyndebourne to play Argante, following his success as the Count in Glyndebourne's 2013 Festival production of Le nozze di Figaro.

· With design by Gideon Davey, lighting design by Robert Carsen and Peter Van Praet and movement direction by Philippe Gireaudeau.

· 7 performances from 9 to 24 August.

· The production is supported by Lindsay and Sarah Tomlinson.

For more information, interviews and images contact the Glyndebourne press office on 01273 812321.

The Glyndebourne Festival was founded in 1934 by John Christie and his opera singer wife, Audrey Mildmay. Glyndebourne has remained financially independent since its inaugural season and whilst receiving valued Arts Council support for the Tour and some education work, the Festival receives no public subsidy. As a registered charity, it is funded by box office income, its members and supporters.

Today the Festival runs from May to August with a programme of six operas in a 1,200-seat opera house. Together with the Glyndebourne Tour it presents over 120 performances annually to an audience of more than 150,000. As part of Glyndebourne's mission to reach new audiences, it delivers a widely respected education programme and offers reduced-price tickets to under-30s. Glyndebourne has also pioneered specialist recordings to open up its work to a global audience through live broadcasts, cinema screenings, DVDs and online streaming.

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