Garsington Opera facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Garsington Opera

Address	Wormsley Estate Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire United Kingdom
Type	Opera house
Capacity	600
Construction
Built	2011
Architect	Robin Snell and Partners
Website
www.garsingtonopera.org

Garsington Opera is a special yearly summer opera festival in England. It was started in 1989 by Leonard Ingrams. Two main orchestras, the Philharmonia Orchestra and The English Concert, play there regularly. For 21 years, the festival took place in the gardens of Ingrams's home, Garsington Manor in Oxfordshire. Since 2011, Garsington Opera has been held at Wormsley Park. This is the home of the Getty family near Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire. After Leonard Ingrams passed away in 2005, Anthony Whitworth-Jones became the General Director. Later, in 2013, Douglas Boyd took over as the artistic director.

What Makes Garsington Opera Special

Garsington Opera is known for showing both famous operas and less common ones. They have even put on the first British performances of some operas. These include Die ägyptische Helena by Richard Strauss and La gazzetta by Rossini. They also presented the first professional British productions of operas like La vera costanza by Haydn.

The shows happen in a special building called the Opera Pavilion. From inside, you can see the beautiful outdoor landscape. This keeps a link with nature, which is a long-standing tradition at Garsington Opera. Performances start in the early evening. There is a long break for dinner, similar to the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. People often wear evening clothes for the event. Operas are usually sung in their original language. English surtitles (like subtitles) are shown above the stage.

Since 2020, the Philharmonia Orchestra and The English Concert have been the two main orchestras. They share the four opera productions each year.

History of Garsington Opera

Starting at Garsington Manor

Garsington Manor in 1865

In 1982, Leonard Ingrams, a financier, and his wife Rosalind bought Garsington Manor. They soon realized the gardens were perfect for outdoor performances. The family became well-known for hosting this yearly opera season.

The first opera at Garsington Manor was in 1989. A group called Opera 80 performed Le nozze di Figaro. It was a big success, which led Leonard Ingrams to start Garsington Opera. In 1990, the first official season included Così fan tutte by Mozart. It also featured the first British performance of Orlando paladino by Haydn. Ingrams asked the Guildhall Strings to play for his new company. Soon, Garsington Opera had its own orchestra, with the Guildhall Strings as its core.

By 1993, Garsington Opera was putting on three different operas each season. As more people wanted to attend, a special seating area was built. It could hold about 500 people and was designed by architect Robin Snell. The stage was partly covered by a fabric roof, but it was open to the gardens behind. After each season, the entire structure was taken down.

Ingrams also used the barn at Garsington Manor for chamber music concerts. He even installed wood panels from the old Glyndebourne auditorium into the barn. This barn also served as the restaurant during the opera season. Guests could enjoy dinner there during the break. The operas were performed on a stone loggia. This area overlooked a flower garden designed by Lady Ottoline Morrell. She used to entertain famous guests there, like Virginia Woolf.

Some local residents complained about noise from the operas. Sound-proofing screens were put up around the theatre. In 1996, some neighbors won a small amount of money for noise disturbance. When this decision was changed, a group of protesters took action. During a 1997 performance, they used electric lawnmowers and tractors. They also set off car alarms and even flew a private plane overhead. In 2001, they tried to stop performances using a human rights law. However, they were not successful. Local health services monitored the noise for several years. They always found that the noise was not a problem.

Leonard Ingrams passed away in 2005. In November of that year, Garsington Opera announced it would continue. Anthony Whitworth-Jones became the new General Director. Rosalind Ingrams, Leonard's widow, became President. Whitworth-Jones had led other famous opera companies. He promised to continue Garsington's tradition of musical excellence. In 2007, the Metropolitan Opera in New York even staged a Garsington production. In 2008, the Ingrams family announced that Garsington Manor would no longer host performances after the 2010 season. The opera needed more space.

Moving to Wormsley Park

Garsington Opera Pavilion at Wormsley

In April 2010, Garsington Opera announced a new home. They had made an agreement with the Getty family to hold the festival at Wormsley Park. The company's new performance space is a 600-seat pavilion. It is located in the beautiful surroundings of Wormsley. The first season at Wormsley Park in 2011 included a British premiere of Vivaldi's La verità in cimento. They also performed Mozart's The Magic Flute and Rossini's Il turco in Italia. The company now gets its money from supporters, sponsors, and foundations.

The Garsington Opera Pavilion at Wormsley Park is used only during the festival each year. It was designed by Robin Snell & Partners.

Awards and Recognitions

In 2019, Garsington Opera put on a new production of The Turn of the Screw by Benjamin Britten. This show won the 2020 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for opera and music theatre.

Famous Performers

Many talented singers have performed with Garsington Opera. These include Susan Chilcott, Susan Bullock, and Yvonne Kenny. Other notable singers are Matthew Rose, Lesley Garrett, Toby Spence, Roderick Williams, and Miah Persson. Famous conductors like David Parry, Ivor Bolton, and Jane Glover have also led performances.

Past Productions

Garsington Opera performs both well-known operas and rare ones. Here are some of the operas they have staged, especially those that were rarely seen or were first British productions:

See also

• List of opera festivals
• Country house opera