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2027 FESTIVAL

“MYTHS AND LEGENDS”

Written in the last year of his life, Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito features some of the most beautiful and extraordinary music from a composer at the height of his powers. The English Concert and conductor Clemens Schuldt reunite after displaying their wonderful chemistry in Mitridate, re di Ponto in 2023, igniting the articulation and rhetoric of Mozart’s music with

the unmistakable palette of period instruments. This new production, with its themes of power, guilt, love and forgiveness, is conceived by award-winning director PJ Harris and designer Alex Eales. We continue our tradition of performing Handel at Garsington with The English Concert conducted by acclaimed early music specialist, David Bates, making his Garsington debut. Director Erica Whyman and designer Tom Piper reunite with a bold new production of Serse. Their collaborations with the RSC have earned wide acclaim, while Tom’s long-standing relationship with Garsington has included memorable designs for The Queen of Spades, Rusalka and Eugene Onegin. Serse is a passionate story of identity, power and vulnerability portrayed through some of Handel’s greatest music, including one of his most famous and exquisite arias, “Ombra mai fu”. Verdi only wrote two comedies and with Falstaff he left the best till last. His final opera is a comic masterpiece that takes some of Shakespeare’s best-loved plays and weaves them into a masterpiece of wit and wisdom.

The 2027 Season opens with a huge milestone for Garsington Opera as we stage our first ever opera by Wagner, Der fliegende Holländer. A co-production with Irish National Opera, Rachael Hewer and Francis O’Connor’s production brings humanity and passion to the legend of the Dutchman who is cursed to sail the seas forever. The opera begins with one of the greatest overtures ever written and Wagner heightens the drama throughout the opera, using the orchestra as a character, which will be brought to life by the one of the world’s premier orchestras, the Philharmonia. Wagner’s first mature masterpiece is of a bigger scale than any work we have staged before and will usher in a new dimension to the intimate setting of our Opera Pavilion.

La traviata, 2026

We welcome back Bruno Ravella to revive this wonderful ensemble piece, alongside conductor Alexander Joel making his Garsington debut with the Philharmonia. Closing our 2027 Festival, we are delighted to be premiering our newly commissioned community opera Exodus. Based on Julie Bertagna’s hugely successful novel, John Barber and Jude Christian’s Exodus brings together over 200 community performers with professional soloists and orchestra. Set in a world ravaged by global warming, we are continuing our commitment to tackling themes relevant to performers and audiences alike. I can’t wait to conduct our full community company for three performances alongside our inspirational director and Creative Director of Learning & Participation, Karen Gillingham. We look forward to welcoming you to Wormsley!

DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER Wagner

May 26 / 30 June 5 / 19 / 23 / 28 July 2 / 4 / 10 / 15

LA CLEMENZA DI TITO Mozart

May 27 / 29 June 4 / 10 / 12 / 18 / 20

SERSE Handel

June 11 / 13 / 25 / 27 July 3 / 6 / 8 / 17

FALSTAFF Verdi

June 26 / 29 July 1 / 5 / 9 / 11 / 14 / 16 / 18

EXODUS

A community opera by John Barber & Jude Christian

Douglas Boyd, Artistic Director

July

27 / 28 3

DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER Richard Wagner

Der fliegende Holländer represents a landmark in Garsington’s history as we stage our first opera by Wagner. This epic production will be directed by Sky Arts and RPS Award-winning director Rachael Hewer, who makes her Garsington debut. Our Artistic Director, Douglas Boyd, takes to the podium to conduct Wagner’s expansive score, featuring the full forces of our chorus and the Philharmonia. The world-class cast is led by 2007 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, bass-baritone Shenyang, and soprano Hedvig Haugerud, both making their Garsington debuts. The eponymous Flying Dutchman is a mysterious figure cursed to sail the seas for all eternity. Once every seven years he is allowed to make landfall to try and find a woman who will be faithful to him, thereby saving his soul. Considered to be the first of Wagner’s major operas, Der fliegende Holländer is imbued with all the elements of his astonishing ability to conjure vast musical landscapes. A co-production with Irish National Opera

The Dutchman Shenyang Senta Hedvig Haugerud Daland Peter Rose Erik Edgaras Montvidas Mary Claire Barnett-Jones The Steersman Zachary Rioux

Conductor Douglas Boyd Director Rachael Hewer Designer Francis O’Connor Lighting Designer Mark Jonathan Movement Director Gareth Mole Projection Designer Illuminos Philharmonia Orchestra Garsington Opera Chorus Performances May 26 / 30 June 5 / 19 / 23 / 28 July 2 / 4 / 10 / 15 Start time: 5.50pm Sung in German with English supertitles Insight Talk Monday 12 April Swedenborg Hall, London See page 21 for details

LA CLEMENZA DI TITO Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Composed in the final year of Mozart’s life, while he was also completing The Magic Flute, La clemenza di Tito was commissioned to celebrate the coronation of Leopold II as King of Bohemia. Award-winning director PJ Harris directs this new production, with Clemens Schuldt returning to Garsington following his ‘buoyant and bracing’ (Daily Telegraph) interpretation of Mitridate, re di Ponto in 2023. In the title role, we welcome back tenor Ed Lyon after his celebrated performances as Ulisse (2026) and Grimoaldo in Rodelinda (2025). Loosely based on the life of the first-century Roman emperor Titus, this drama of political intrigue and emotional upheaval could have been formulaic. In Mozart’s hands, however, with music of glorious warmth and power, the characters take on exceptional life, and become vivid and relatable in their entanglements of jealous rivalry, guilt and betrayal. The fiercely ambitious Vitellia will stop at nothing to regain the throne that she considers to be rightfully hers. The Emperor Tito is put to the ultimate test by her machinations. Can he find within himself the grace to bestow mercy and forgiveness?

Tito Ed Lyon Vitellia Nardus Williams Sesto Emily Sierra Servilia Jessica Niles Annio Cláudia Ribas Publio William Thomas

Conductor Clemens Schuldt Director PJ Harris Designer Alex Eales Lighting Designer Azusa Ono Movement Director Natasha Harrison The English Concert Garsington Opera Chorus Performances May 27 / 29 June 4 / 10 / 12 / 18 / 20 Start time: 6.05pm Sung in Italian with English supertitles Insight Talk Thursday 22 April Garsington Studios See page 21 for details

SERSE

George Frideric Handel

Handel wrote Serse for a London audience who were initially confused by its daring blend of comedy and tragedy. The music is an unstoppable outpouring of inspiration from the very start when Serse, an impossibly vainglorious and volatile character, goes into raptures over the beauty of a tree, which he addresses in seductively loving tones. He is more severe with Romilda, the woman he becomes besotted with, and Amastre, the woman he is engaged to marry but whom he nonchalantly rejects. Passions run high but, ultimately, the tangled web of disguise and trickery, and romantic trials and tribulations are resolved, with true love winning through, at least for some. Making their Garsington debuts, we are delighted to welcome acclaimed director Erica Whyman and conductor David Bates, with The English Concert. The cast is led by Niamh O’Sullivan, who delighted audiences last summer as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, and Lucy Crowe, who was captivating in the title role of Rodelinda in 2025.

Serse Niamh O’Sullivan Romilda Lucy Crowe Arsamene Jake Arditti Amastre Lucile Richardot Atalanta Alexandra Oomens Ariodate Henry Waddington Elviro Emyr Wyn Jones

Conductor David Bates Director Erica Whyman Designer Tom Piper Lighting Designer Lizzie Powell Movement Director Lucy Cullingford The English Concert Performances June 11 / 13 / 25 / 27 July 3 / 6 / 8 / 17 Start time: 5.25pm Sung in Italian with English supertitles Insight Talk Tuesday 27 April Garsington Studios See page 21 for details

FALSTAFF Giuseppe Verdi

Bruno Ravella’s celebrated production from 2018 returns with conductor Alexander Joel making his Garsington Opera debut. A regular on the opera podiums of Europe, he will conduct the Philharmonia in Verdi’s final opera, a dazzlingly inventive display of joyous humour. At the heart of the work is the magnificent, ludicrously vain and ever hopeful Sir John Falstaff. Larger than life in every sense, he lives on his wits, exults in his own appetites and attempts to seduce pretty much anyone who crosses his path. Falstaff is an amalgamation of scenes from different plays by Shakespeare, whom Verdi admired above all writers. With the help of his brilliant librettist Arrigo Boito, Verdi, at the age of 80, finally achieved his goal of composing a successful comedy. As the saying goes, ‘Shakespeare invented Falstaff, Verdi made him immortal’.

Sir John Falstaff Michael Mayes Alice Ford Elbenita Kajtazi Ford Germán Enrique Alcántara Meg Page Megan Marino Mistress Quickly Claire Barnett-Jones Nannetta Claire Lees Fenton Egor Zhuravskii Dr Caius Colin Judson Bardolph Daniel Norman Pistol William Thomas

Conductor Alexander Joel Director Bruno Ravella Designer Giles Cadle Lighting Designer Malcolm Rippeth Movement Director Rebecca Howell Philharmonia Orchestra Garsington Opera Chorus Performances June 26 / 29 July 1 / 5 / 9 / 11 / 14 / 16 / 18 Start time: 6.15pm Sung in Italian with English supertitles Insight Talk Thursday 13 May Garsington Studios See page 21 for details

EXODUS

A community opera based on the novel Exodus by Julie Bertagna John Barber & Jude Christian

Experience the world premiere of a compelling new opera, Exodus. Composed by Ivor Novello Award nominee John Barber, with a libretto by Jude Christian, this production brings together professional soloists and musicians with more than 200 performers from our Adult, Youth and Infant Companies. Inspired by Julie Bertagna’s acclaimed novel, Exodus takes us to the end of this century, with a dystopian world ravaged by the devastating impact of global warming. At its heart lies a gripping tale of survival, hope and human courage where a voyage to find safety leads to an extraordinary new world.

Mara Henna Mun Fox Seán Boylan Caledon Robert Murray Mary Yvonne Howard

Conductor Douglas Boyd Director Karen Gillingham Designer Nicky Shaw Lighting Designer Mark Jonathan Choreographer Natasha Khamjani Garsington Opera Adult Company Garsington Opera Youth Company School Companies Performances July 27 (7pm) / 28 (2.30pm & 7pm) Sung in English with English supertitles

Tickets Seating Area

Adults

Under 21

Front Stalls All other seats

£55 £20

£20 £10

Your Visit to Garsington Dress Code

Getting Here

A visit to Garsington is a special occasion, and we hope you will see it as a chance to dress up. Black tie is traditional, but feel free to find your own expression of elegant evening wear. Warm layers are strongly advised. As the grass may be soft, stilettos are not recommended.

Garsington Opera, Wormsley, Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire HP14 3YG Under an hour from London by car and 25 minutes by rail to our nearest station, with transfers and taxis available. 30 minutes from Oxford by car.

Your Arrival

Afternoon Tea

Wormsley Estate is open from 3.30pm, when you will be warmly welcomed upon arrival by our stewards. Complimentary Scout porters and chauffeured golf buggies are available to assist with carrying picnics from our free car park.

Treat yourself to a traditional afternoon tea in our restaurant overlooking Wormsley’s famous cricket ground, complete with freshly baked scones, sandwiches and cakes.

Champagne Terrace

Tea & Coffee Kiosk

Walled Garden

Our bar is situated in front of the opera house and is a perfect meeting point. Overlooking the deer park, it serves champagne and delicious pre-ordered canapés, and is open pre-performance and during the interval.

For a quick cuppa, drop in on our Kiosk at the foot of the auditorium steps. Open pre-performance and in the interval, it is the place to go for savoury bites and freshly baked cakes, or that essential coffee to round off your picnic.

Arrive in time to take a short journey on our vintage bus to Wormsley’s 18th century Walled Garden and enjoy the horticultural variety in its carefully curated quadrants.

Garsington Opera Shop

Performance Begins

On selected weekend performances, enjoy a free 20-minute informal recital by our Alvarez Emerging Artists, performed in the Walled Garden.

Drop in on our charming, tented shop to browse our bespoke collections including jewellery, clothing and artisanal homeware. This is also where you’ll find our Box Office team.

Bells will sound from 15 minutes before the performance, ushering you to your seats.

90-minute Dinner Interval

Your Departure

Pre-book your three-course gourmet dining in the Boundary Room restaurant, or a catered picnic to enjoy in our tents. Self-catered picnics are also welcome, with tents and tables available to pre-book.

Performances are timed to finish around 10pm, as darkness falls, giving a magical end to your evening, with candles to light your way through the spectacular Chiltern landscape.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY © VERITY MILLIGAN

Pre-show Recitals

Dining & Hospitality

The Long Interval Dine in the Boundary Room Restaurant Treat yourself to the complete fine-dining experience in our glass-fronted restaurant, with menus devised by award-winning chef Will Devlin and delivered by Payne & Gunter. Overlooking the timeless Wormsley Cricket Ground and the Chilterns beyond, the Boundary Room boasts one of the most stunning dining room views in Britain. Order a Picnic Let Payne & Gunter take the strain and choose from their range of pre-order picnics, offering a delicious selection of al fresco favourites,

Pre-performance We encourage you to arrive early to enjoy the full experience of a night out at the opera. Allow us to tempt you to afternoon tea, champagne and canapés, or to transport you to the two-acre Walled Garden, where you can meet one of Wormsley’s gardeners and explore the flowers, vegetables and tranquil spaces with a glass in hand.

served in tents beside the Cricket Ground. If you would prefer to enjoy your picnic in the Deer Park, tents and tables can be reserved for a small additional charge. Bring a Picnic If bringing your own picnic, you’ll find plenty of free, unreserved seating to use. Choose from the many tables dotted around the Champagne Lawn and lakeside, or join the friendly atmosphere of our shared picnic tents.

Reserve a Tent or Table If you would like to reserve a picnic space, bookings are offered on the Upper Terrace or in our shared tents, accommodating both catered and self-catered picnics. For larger parties, private tents seating either 8 or 12 are also available. How to Book Your Dining Dining can be booked when paying for your tickets, either online or through our Box Office. Instructions can be found in the step-by-step booking guide on page 18.

Dine in a Private Venue For a special celebration, or to entertain in style, choose one of Wormsley’s private venues, offering dining options tailored to your specifications: The Island Pavilion sits amidst a beautiful lake and houses pieces from the Getty family’s sculpture collection. Suitable for parties of up to 28, this immaculate dining room offers fine dining within stunning surroundings.

Tucked away within our Opera Garden, The Granary is a cosy snug, bursting with character. A stone’s throw from the Opera Pavilion, this secluded picnic spot is a tranquil space for up to 12 people.

Island Pavilion

The Granary

For larger parties, the Chilterns Tent is a versatile space, set alongside the glorious Wormsley Cricket Ground, with room for of up to 60 guests. Alternatively, for up to 30 guests, you can enjoy exclusive use of one of our large picnic tents overlooking the Cricket Ground.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY © VERITY MILLIGAN

Wormsley’s iconic, thatched Cricket Pavilion is adorned with matchday memorabilia and can host up to 10 guests for catered picnics, our fine dining menu or a bespoke offering.

To discuss hosting your evening in one of our private venues, please contact our Box Office when submitting your ticket request. The Cricket Pavilion

Booking Information Booking Information Priority booking is now open, and members are invited to request tickets ahead of the allocation deadlines below. Please provide as many alternative dates and seating areas as possibe to assist the Box Office in processing your application efficiently. Ingrams Circle, Constellation and Patron deadline Tuesday 24 November 2026

Step-by-step booking Members’ Priority Booking

Affiliate, Opus 40 Club & Public Booking

1. Submit your ticket request including preferred productions, dates and seating areas. You will receive an email confirming receipt of your request.

1. Once booking has opened, visit our website to select by seat for your chosen performance.

2. Seat allocation will begin once your membership’s booking deadline has passed. When complete, you will receive confirmation of your seats to review. Allocations are typically confirmed in February.

2. If you’re ready to book tents, tables or dining this can be done at checkout, or at a later date.

3. Once paid, tickets are immediately available to view in your online account area.

Special Friend and Friend deadline Tuesday 12 January 2027 Members are invited to submit their priority booking request at garsingtonopera.org Affiliate Members are invited to book online from 10am on Tuesday 2 March 2027 Opus 40 Club are invited to book online from 10am on Tuesday 16 March 2027 Public booking opens online from 10am on Tuesday 30 March 2027 Rush 35 tickets will be released from May onwards. Sign up online for a free membership.

3. Complete your booking by adding any tents, tables & dining to your confirmed dates and making payment. Tents, tables & dining can also be booked at a later date. 4. Once paid, tickets are immediately available to view in your online account area.

Tickets can be booked online at garsingtonopera.org or via our Box Office on 01494 376037 If you have any questions about booking, please email boxoffice@garsingtonopera.org

Members not wishing to request tickets via our website are invited to telephone or email the Box Office. You will receive email confirmation of your tickets in due course, once allocation is completed.

Donations All amounts shown include a suggested, but non-obligatory, donation of £80. By including this donation when you purchase your tickets you are making a real and significant difference in enabling us to deliver the high artistic quality of the productions you enjoy on our stage, our learning and participation programme in the local community, and the tickets that we subsidise for our younger audience members. Garsington Opera receives no public subsidy, so we are very grateful to the majority of our audience who include the suggested donation with their tickets. These donations (which are tax deductible) attract Gift Aid which further supports our work. Included With Your Ticket Whilst there are optional add-ons to enhance your visit, we do not charge booking fees or add on costs for car parking or buggy transfers.

Seating Area

Tickets Band A Mon-Fri, Sun

Band B Sat

Boxes

£290

£315

Rear Stalls

£190

£205

Middle Stalls

£245

£265

Front Stalls

£290

£315

Orchestra Stalls

£255

£275

Stage Platform ( flexible accessible seating)

£190

£205

For Exodus tickets, see page 13.

Seating Plan & Tickets For a more detailed seating plan, visit garsingtonopera.org/seating-plan Box D Middle Stalls, Rear Stalls and Boxes – reached by external stairs. There is no step-free access. Front Stalls – seats in Row D have step-free access. Subsequent rows are reached by two steps per row, handholds are provided.

Box C

Box B

Rear Stalls Middle Stalls

Front Stalls

Orchestra Stalls – seating accessed by no more than five steps

Orchestra Stalls

Stage Platform – wheelchair spaces and step-free seating

Stage

Box A R-T N-Q

D-M

A-C

Booking Information continued Contact Us Website: garsingtonopera.org Email: boxoffice@garsingtonopera.org Phone: 01494 376037 Box Office Hours: 10am – 5pm, Mon – Fri

Conditions of Sale All ticket sales are final and tickets are not refundable unless an event is cancelled or rescheduled by Garsington Opera. Subject to availability, tickets may be exchanged to another performance, provided notice is given at least seven days prior to the original performance date. For sold out performances, Garsington Opera offers a resale service. All resale requests must be made in writing. Please e-mail the Box Office in the first instance with any resale enquiries on boxoffice@garsingtonopera.org. Full details of our resale service can be found at garsingtonopera.org/conditions-of-sale.

All tickets are sold subject to the right of the Management to make any alterations to the published operas, dates or casts which may be necessary owing to illness or other unavoidable causes. Photography, filming and sound recording of any kind are strictly prohibited during performances. By entering the estate at Wormsley you agree to being filmed or photographed, which may be used for marketing or promotional purposes.

Accessibility We welcome everyone to Garsington Opera and want to make your visit as comfortable as possible. Booking – Suggested accessible seating can be found alongside our auditorium map on page 19. A free companion ticket is available for those requiring essential support in order to attend. To make an access booking or to discuss requirements, please contact the Box Office. Parking – A limited number of parking spaces are reserved for the use of those with access requirements. These must be booked in advance through the Box Office. Tents, tables and dining – The Boundary Room Restaurant has step-free access. We have a limited number of accessible picnic tables available upon request via the Box Office. Data Protection By giving Garsington Opera your information, you agree to your data being used in accordance with our privacy policy garsingtonopera.org/privacypolicy. You can change your contact preferences at any time in your online account, or by contacting the Box Office.

Productions On Demand & Insight Talks Insight Talks

La traviata, 2026

OperaVision Transport yourself back to the summer season with our free-to-view streaming partner, OperaVision.

Insight Talks start at 7pm and tickets cost £25. Guests are invited to join us for a glass of wine half an hour beforehand. The illustrated talks last approximately one hour.

LA CLEMENZA DI TITO

2026 Insight Talk

Speaker: Dr Genevieve Robyn Arkle Swedenborg Hall, London Monday 12 April 2027

Speaker: Katy Hamilton Garsington Studios Thursday 22 April 2027

SERSE Speaker: Dr Hannah French Garsington Studios Tuesday 27 April 2027

FALSTAFF © JULIAN GUIDERA

operavision.eu

DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER

Book online at garsingtonopera.org or via the Box Office.

Our acclaimed production of Verdi’s La traviata, filmed live in July, will be streamed for free from 6pm on 16 October 2026 for six months. Our 2026 production of Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse, depicting Odysseus’s epic journey home, will also be available on OperaVision from 6pm on 9 April 2027 for six months.

Ahead of your visit in the summer, discover more about this season’s operas with our series of Insight Talks, which combine historical context with musical excerpts performed by our understudies, including many of the Alvarez Emerging Artists.

Speaker: Sophie Rashbrook Garsington Studios Thursday 13 May 2027 21

Garsington Studios Programme Concerts at Garsington Studios We are pleased to present our 2026–27 Concert Series in association with Wigmore Hall; an opportunity to hear world-class music outside the Festival season in the intimate setting of our Kia Ora Studio, followed by supper in our Foyer café.

Takács Quartet string quartet Saturday 14 November 2026 Steven Isserlis & Connie Shih cello & piano Thursday 21 January 2027 Huw Montague Rendall & Carrie-Ann Matheson baritone & piano Friday 5 March 2027 Lucy Crowe & Anna Tilbrook soprano & piano Tuesday 23 March 2027 The English Concert St Matthew Passion by JS Bach Thursday 25 March 2027

Find out more at garsingtonopera.org/studios-programme

Discovery Workshops These friendly, free, one-off sessions require no experience, just enthusiasm to try something new. GO Backstage: Explore backstage roles Wednesday 18 November 2026 Adults aged 21+ Saturday 21 November 2026 Young people aged 13–21 Stage & Lighting Design Saturday 23 January 2027 Family workshop for children aged 5–11 Young people aged 11–18 Stage-a-Chorus: Die Fledermaus Saturday 30 January 2027 Adults aged 18+ Sing, Act, Perform Sunday 16 May 2027 Young people aged 11–18 Find out more at garsingtonopera.org/participate

2027 Festival Diary Mon

Tue

May

Wed

Thu

26 Holländer A

Sun

Mon

27 Tito

29 Tito

30 Holländer

July

10 Tito A

28 Holländer

29 Falstaff

2025 FESTIVAL DIARY Sat

June

Fri

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

1 Falstaff

2 Holländer

3 Serse

4 Holländer

5 Falstaff

6 Serse

8 Serse

9 Falstaff

10 Holländer

11 Falstaff

4 Tito

5 Holländer

14 Falstaff

15 Holländer

16 Falstaff

17 Serse

18 Falstaff

11 Serse

12 Tito

13 Serse

18 Tito

19 Holländer

20 Tito

23 Holländer

25 Serse

26 Falstaff

27 Serse

27 Exodus

28 Exodus

EVE

PM / EVE

Ticket Band A B Green Theatre Recital All details correct at time of publication

Registered Charity No. 1003042

Opera Pavilion Garsington Opera, Wormsley Estate, Buckinghamshire HP14 3YG Box Office: 01494 376037 boxoffice@garsingtonopera.org garsingtonopera.org Postal Address Garsington Studios, Wallace Hill Farm, Stokenchurch HP14 3YF