fri 29/03/2024

Gallery: Stars of the Glyndebourne Chorus | reviews, news & interviews

Gallery: Stars of the Glyndebourne Chorus

Gallery: Stars of the Glyndebourne Chorus

They had to start somewhere. Meet the stars who were once part of the crowd

Thomas Allen starred in The Cunning Little Vixen at Glyndebourne in 1977. But in 1969 he was in the Chorus© Philip Ingram

Its constituent parts come in all sizes, tall and small, compact or full-bodied, and span the ages. But put them all together and an operatic chorus is a vast but single organism that sings – and moves – as one. The current Glyndebourne Chorus consists of 15 sopranos, 12 mezzos, 13 tenors and 18 basses. The longest-serving member has been singing with the Chorus for 18 years, but there is an annual intake from music colleges which will include several aspiring soloists.

Not everyone will make it all the way to the top, but our gallery of greats supplies ample proof that the Glyndebourne Chorus is a finishing school of rare excellence. To open our coverage of the 2014 season, theartsdesk invites you to cast an eye over the chorus’s greatest graduates.

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge

An operatic chorus is a vast but single organism that sings – and moves – as one

Share this article

Add comment

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters