Set in the stunning South Downs, Glyndebourne isn't your run-of-the-mill opera. Just one hour on the train from central London, the 2016 Festival offers six operas from May-August, 12 acres of glorious gardens and the White Cube gallery exhibiting new work by Raqib Shaw, inspired by two of this years productions.

Celebrating the Bard in 2016

Peter Hall's iconic production of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of two operas based on Shakespeare plays appearing at the 2016 Festival, as Glyndebourne joins major arts and culture organisations marking the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. The second new production  is Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict directed by Laurent Pelly and conducted by Glyndebourne's Music Director Robin Ticciati.

Shakespeare has played a role in every decade of Glyndebourne's history. This history will be explored through an archive exhibition celebrating all of the Shakespeare-inspired works that have appeared on the Glyndebourne stage including Macbeth, Falstaff, Otello and The Fairy Queen.  

The rest of the 2016 Festival line-up consists of a new production of Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia directed by Annabel Arden and revivals of Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen,  Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

Public booking for the 2016 Festival opens on Monday 7 March. The Festival runs from 21 May to 28 August, featuring international opera stars including Gerald Finley, Alessandro Corbelli, Danielle de Niese and Stephanie d'Oustrac.

GARDENS

“The graciousness of civilisation here surely touches a peak where the arts of music, architecture and gardening combine…”  is how Vita Sackville-West described Glyndebourne in 1953.

That one of the 20th century's greatest garden makers should include the gardens in her praise is an indication of the importance of Glyndebourne's bucolic landscape. No trip to Glyndebourne is complete without a stroll around the lake, the wildflower meadows and the breathtaking Rose, Urn and Figaro gardens.

WHITE CUBE GALLERY

In the second year of Glyndebourne's partnership with White Cube, the London-based, Kashmiri born artist Raqib Shaw has created three new paintings based on two of the operas at the 2016 Festival – Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

A passionate fan of opera, Shaw is known for his gloriously opulent paintings which suggest a fantastical world full of intricate detail, rich colour, and jewel-like surfaces. Shaw recently said:  “Glyndebourne has always had a special place in my heart since I first visited as a student,” he said. “This summer I'm delighted to present a suite of paintings inspired by this picturesque setting and the current programme of wonderful operas and spectacular sets, which I have always loved.”

The exhibition will be housed in a temporary gallery designed by London-based architects Carmody Groarke, recently shortlisted for the Architects' Journal 2016 Small Projects Award.

DINING

Glyndebourne is famous for its long dinner interval [90 minutes]. Audiences can enjoy a long, lazy picnic, or opt for a more formal dining experience in one of our three restaurants, Middle & Over, Nether Wallop and Mildmay.

New for 2016 - The Glyndebourne Picnic Bag. For visitors who prefer a less formal picnic we have devised a quick picnic option, perfect for anyone who is travelling light. The picnic bag comprises of  British picnic essentials: delicate sandwiches, Heritage tomato salad and classic summer pudding bursting with English berries.

ENDS

Public booking for the 2016 Glyndebourne Festival opens on Monday 7 March 2016 at 12.01am online (glyndebourne.com) and from 10am by telephone (+44 (0)1273 815 000). Tickets cost from £15.

Preview images for the 2016 Glyndebourne Festival can be found here

For more information, interview requests or image please contact the Glyndebourne press office – chloe.westwood@glyndebourne.com or 01273 812321

Notes to editors

• The 2016 Glyndebourne Festival runs from 21 May – 28 August 2016

• Raqib Shaw's White Cube at Glyndebourne exhibition will be open to 2016 Glyndebourne Festival ticket holders when the event opens on 21 May 2016

• White Cube's exhibition programme extends across its three gallery spaces: Bermondsey Street in South London, Mason's Yard in St. James's, London and Hong Kong's Central district. Launched in 1993,White Cube exhibits the work of many of the world's most highly acclaimed contemporary artists. www.whitecube.com
  Twitter: @_whitecube        Instagram: whitecubeofficial        Facebook: White Cube 

• Shakespeare400 is a consortium of leading cultural, creative and educational organisations, coordinated by the London Shakespeare Centre and Culture at King's College London, which will mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death in 2016. Through a connected series of public performances, programmes, exhibitions and creative activities in the capital and beyond, partners will celebrate the legacy of Shakespeare during the quartercentenary year. Visit Shakespeare400.org

• Glyndebourne Festival 2016 cinema screenings and online broadcasts take place on the following dates:

Tuesday 21 June: Il barbiere di Siviglia LIVE

Tuesday 12 July: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (pre-recorded)

Tuesday 9 August: Béatrice et Bénédict LIVE

Glyndebourne Festival 2016 repertoire:

New productions

• Gioachino Rossini   Il barbiere di Siviglia
  16 performances between 22 May - 17 July

Directed by Annabel Arden and conducted by Enrique Mazzola, the production stars two Glyndebourne favourites; the internationally acclaimed lyric soprano Danielle de Niese as Rosina and Italian buffo baritone Alessandro Corbelli as Dr Bartolo.

• Hector Berlioz   Béatrice et Bénédict
  12 performances between 23 July - 27 August

Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict, adapted from Much Ado About Nothing, will have its fully-staged Glyndebourne debut in a new production directed by Laurent Pelly. French mezzo soprano Stéphanie d'Oustrac will make her role debut as Béatrice opposite the US tenor Paul Appleby who made his UK debut in the 2015 Glyndebourne Festival production of Handel's Saul.

Revivals

• Richard Wagner  Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
  10 performances between 21 May - 27 June

David McVicar's acclaimed 2011 production of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg returns with Robin Ticciati conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra for his first ever Wagner opera.

• Leoš Janáček   The Cunning Little Vixen
  13 performances between 12 June - 31 July

A revival of Melly Still's 2012 production of Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen sees Russian soprano Elena Tsallagova take the role of Vixen Sharp Ears, and Czech soprano Alžbĕta Poláčková makes her Glyndebourne debut as the Fox. English baritone Christopher Purves will play the Forester and the Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart   Le nozze di Figaro
  17 performances between 3 July - 24 August

The return of Michael Grandage's 2012 production of Le nozze di Figaro features Glyndebourne debuts by South African soprano Golda Schultz as Countess Almaviva and Italian baritone Davide Luciano as Figaro. Italian soprano Rosa Feola, who made a memorable Glyndebourne debut as Sandrina in La finta giardiniera in the 2014 Glyndebourne Tour, will play Susanna for her first Festival appearance.

• Benjamin Britten   A Midsummer Night's Dream
  8 performances between 11 - 28 August

Peter Hall's enduringly popular 1981 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream receives its first revival in ten years. An impressive ensemble cast has been assembled including Matthew Rose as Bottom, Tim Mead as Oberon, Elizabeth DeShong as Hermia, Kate Royal as Helena and Kathleen Kim as Tytania. Kazushi Ono will conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

About Glyndebourne

Glyndebourne is recognised internationally as one of the great opera houses; a reputation that stems from a passion for artistic excellence encapsulated in founder John Christie's insistence on doing “not the best we can do but the best that can be done anywhere”.

John and his opera singer wife, Audrey Mildmay, founded the Glyndebourne Festival in 1934. In 1968 the Glyndebourne Tour was established to bring opera to new audiences across the country and create opportunities for talented young singers.

Today Glyndebourne is a twelve month operation. The Festival runs from May to August with a programme of six operas in a 1,200-seat opera house. The annual Tour takes place from October to December and a widely respected education programme is active year round staging new work and delivering projects to enhance the understanding and enjoyment of opera.

Together the Festival and Tour present 120 performances annually to an audience of 150,000 with many more people experiencing Glyndebourne's work through its yearly programme of cinema screenings and free online streamings. Glyndebourne has pioneered specialist recordings to share its work with a global audience through these channels and as part of this mission to reach new audiences, also offers reduced-price tickets to under-30s.

Since its founding, Glyndebourne has remained financially independent and, whilst receiving valued Arts Council support for the Tour and education work, the Festival receives no public subsidy. As a registered charity, our work is funded by Box Office income, our Members and supporters.