It is with a heavy heart that, due to Government recommendations surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Longborough Festival Opera will not proceed with the 2020 season. This affects all performances.
This decision has not been taken lightly and the ramifications are wide-reaching. However, our first concern is the health and safety of our artists, audience, team, and community – the people who make up Longborough Festival Opera.
We are so grateful to our audiences and members for their loyalty and enduring support over many years. We will ensure that this support is used to sustain the organisation at this difficult time, and to continue with our shared dreams, not least our Ring cycle.
This decision will lead to the loss of essential income for the freelance artists who are at the heart of our work each summer, leaving them in precarious circumstances.
We will be offering all ticket holders a full refund; however, we ask that our audience consider donating all or part of that refund to help us do our best to support these people whose exceptional artistry and expertise make Longborough such a special place. We will be in touch with ticket holders soon about how we will arrange this.
As a privately-funded charity, we rely on ticket income and the benevolence of our supporters to sustain our work. We know that these are challenging times and all charitable donations are hugely appreciated.
We stand in solidarity with the wider arts community who are all deeply impacted by this crisis. Thank you for the many well-wishes that have been shared with us over the last few days; these words of encouragement from artists and supporters have been so thoughtful.
We are a small team, so it will take a little while for us to respond to each of you. But you will all hear from us.
Please keep well, keep positive and keep listening to beautiful music! We believe that in the difficult times ahead, theatre and music will be more important than ever. We look forward to sharing our plans over the coming months, and to welcoming you back to Longborough in the summer of 2021. The show will go on.
All best wishes from
Jennifer Smith, Executive Director
Polly Graham, Artistic Director
Martin Graham, Chairman
Longborough Festival Opera