The Glyndebourne Tour Brings Three Shows to The Marlowe Theatre, Now thru Nov 8

Canterbury welcomes the Glyndebourne Tour next month (November).

Three world-class productions, two fresh from premieres at Glyndebourne Festival, will be performed at The Marlowe Theatre: La finta giardiniera, La traviata and The Turn Of The Screw.

The 2014 Tour is dedicated to Glyndebourne's visionary founder, Sir George Christie, who died in May. He established the Tour in 1968 driven by an ambition to bring the highest quality opera to as many people as possible and nurture talented singers from across the world at the start of their careers.

Now in its 46th year, the Glyndebourne Tour is offering a rare opportunity to see two new productions direct from the internationally-acclaimed Glyndebourne Festival, Mozart's La finta giardiniera and Verdi's La traviata. Also taking to the road is Jonathan Kent's highly-acclaimed 2006 production of Britten's The Turn of the Screw.

Glyndebourne Tour, which offers world-class opera at venues across the UK, is one of Sir George's most significant legacies for the arts world. The 2014 Tour begun at Glyndebourne in East Sussex on 4 October before visiting Woking, Norwich, Canterbury, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, Dublin and Stoke-on-Trent.

Sir Thomas Allen, Gerald Finley, Felicity Lott, Kate Royal and Roberto Alagna are just some of the talented, international singers who began their careers on the Glyndebourne Tour. This year, Glyndebourne will again offer audiences the chance to spot emerging talent on the brink of explosive careers.

Described by the Evening Standard as a 'brilliantly inspired production', La finta giardiniera is directed by 32-year-old Frederic Wake-Walker and conducted by former Glyndebourne Chorus Master Christopher Moulds. It features award-winning Italian soprano Rosa Feola making her Glyndebourne debut as Sandrina, Tour favourite Eliana Pretorian as Serpetta and Polish mezzo-soprano Hanna Hipp, a graduate of the Royal Opera House's Jett Parker Young Artists programme, as Ramiro.

Director Tom Cairn's production of La traviata will feature exciting young conductor David Afkham, fresh from conducting in the Glyndebourne Festival. American tenor Zach Borichevsky makes his UK debut singing Alfredo Germont alongside Russian soprano Irina Dubrovskaya, who is singing at Glyndebourne for the first time. Lauren Easton, who made her Tour debut in 2012, makes a triumphant return to sing the role of Flora Bervoix.

The Turn Of The Screw is revived with a stellar cast including award-winning Welsh soprano Natalya Romaniw in the role of the Governess and former Jerwood Young Artist Anthony Gregory as Peter Quint. Also making her Tour debut is 13-year-old Louise Moseley playing the role of Flora.

David Pickard, General Director at Glyndebourne, said: "I am proud that the Glyndebourne Tour enables our world-class company to be seen in parts of the country where opera performances are comparatively limited. This makes our annual visits particularly special, not just for the venues we visit, but also for the company itself who experience the thrill of introducing live opera to new audiences."

Glyndebourne Tour 2014 is at The Marlowe Theatre from tonight 4 to Saturday 8 November. For performance details, ticket prices and to book, call the Box Office on 01227 787787, or go to marlowetheatre.com.

About Glyndebourne - The Glyndebourne Tour (alongside the annual Festival) combines to present over 150 performances annually to an audience of more than 150,000. Created by Sir George Christie Glyndebourne began its Tour in 1968 to bring opera to new audiences and create opportunities for young singers in the Glyndebourne Chorus. Glyndebourne has also pioneered specialist recordings to open up its work to a global audience through live broadcasts, cinema screenings, DVDs and internet streaming.

In April 2013, Sir George Christie was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Opera Awards in recognition of his contribution to the art form through his life-long involvement with Glyndebourne. Since it was founded Glyndebourne has remained financially independent and whilst receiving valued Arts Council support for the Tour and some educational work, the Glyndebourne Festival receives no public subsidy. As a registered charity, Glyndebourne is funded by box office income, its members and supporters.

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