Performances for Schools
Every autumn Glyndebourne enables thousands of young people to experience opera
Since 2006, Glyndebourne’s Performances for Schools have inspired and enriched the lives of over 35,000 students.
These performances are a unique experience – Glyndebourne’s world-famous auditorium filled with students from our local area experiencing all the emotion, spectacle and intensity of a Glyndebourne opera, full-length and fully staged.
As part of your visit, we offer curriculum-based resources which are accessible and easy to follow. The performances can help schools to achieve the National Plan for Music Education by offering pupils the opportunity to enjoy live performance at least once per year, and our digital resources are designed to support schools by offering activities which can be built into teachers timetables and lesson plans.
As well as heavily subsidised tickets for all students, we offer the opportunity to apply for a travel grant to help towards the cost of booking transport for a trip to Glyndebourne.
Applications will open after the Easter break and the ballot will close on Monday 18 May, keep an eye out for our email reminders.
If you are not currently on our mailing list you can sign up to receive updates and to hear about other opportunities for teachers and students.
Related links
Autumn Season 2026
The Barber of Seville
Dates: Wednesday 21 October 2026 & Thursday 5 November 2026
Recommended age: Suitable for Year 5 onwards (aged 9 and above).
Tickets: £8
Quick-witted comedy and sparkling romance take centre stage in a show full of Spanish colour and warmth. Rossini’s opera features some of the greatest, most recognisable operatic earworms ever written!
Spark
Dates: Tuesday 17 November 2026, 11.00am
Recommended age: Suitable for Year 4 onwards (aged 8 and above).
Tickets: £8
Composer Lucy Armstrong and librettist Olivia Bell have created Spark with and for young people, to feature Glyndebourne Youth Opera performers alongside professional singers.
We want to support local schools to enable children to experience the benefits of live theatre and to meet the National Plan for Music and contribute towards the Theatre for Every Child campaign.
In 2025, Glyndebourne welcomed over 5,500 students from over 169 local schools and home educator groups to our Performances for Schools.
‘The scenery and costumes were incredible and it really felt like you were in a midsummer night’s dream.’ – Student audience member 2025
‘I felt like I was fully immersed – a world of my own.’ – Student audience member 2025
‘It is always a pleasure to bring students to the opera for the first time. My Year 10 class really enjoyed their first experience of opera.’ – Teacher audience member 2025
‘How inspired the children were – a totally different genre and experience for them.’ – Teacher audience member 2025
‘’Funny, interesting and a magical experience!‘ – Student audience members 2024
‘Sharing many students’ first experience of world class opera was special.’ – Teacher audience member 2024
Photos by Sam Stephenson
Glyndebourne is dedicated to introducing young people to the arts through opera. As a Trinity Champion Centre for 2025-26, we are delighted to offer funding for up to 600 pupils attending a Performance for Schools at Glyndebourne to complete an Arts Award Discover certificate alongside their visit. This could be the beginning of a journey to achieve further Arts Award qualifications.
Each student undertaking an Arts Award will receive a specially created worksheet and teachers will have access to support from our team of trained Arts Award advisors.We are happy to support as many pupils as are interested and there is no obligation for the whole class to complete and submit a portfolio.
To celebrate students’ engagement with Glyndebourne Opera, we are offering a digital badge for every pupil that attends a performance for schools. Digital badges are a simple way to acknowledge the value of creative skills and experiences for young people. Over time students can build a collection of badges in a digital portfolio. All of our badges are quality assured and meet the RSA Badging Standard, making them a reliable indicator of skill and accomplishment. Find out more about digital badges here.
Useful information
Glyndebourne is in the heart of the Sussex countryside, just 10 miles outside Brighton. There’s plenty of on-site parking for coaches, and 12 acres of gardens for pupils to enjoy.
As well as heavily subsidised tickets for all students, we offer the opportunity to apply for a travel grant to help towards the cost of booking transport for a trip to Glyndebourne.
We strive to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment for all. At each performance, we take a relaxed approach to movement and noise coming from the students, where we encourage everyone to respond naturally. An alternative space adjacent to the auditorium is available, where students can view a live stream of the performance if they need to leave the main theatre for any reason. To find out more about this and for any further support or access requirements, please contact us at takepart@glyndebourne.com.
- Pupils will each receive a free programme with a synopsis, cast list, signed poster and lots of useful information on what to watch out for.
- Your pupils will be invited to provide feedback – we love to hear their thoughts.
Join the mailing list
If you are not currently on our mailing list you can sign up to receive updates and to hear about other opportunities for teachers and students.
Glyndebourne’s Learning & Engagement programme is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
Image credits: Main image – Sam Stephenson | The Barber of Seville image – Tristram Kenton /Robert Workman; Image design by Louise Richardson | Spark image – Michael Glazier/Unsplash; Myshkovsky/iStock; Stockseller–ukr/iStock; Image design by Louise Richardson
