Pegasus Opera Mentoring Programme
A mentorship scheme for classical artists from African and Asian backgrounds
The participants will be given opportunities to observe rehearsals and shadow established artists at the 2025 Glyndebourne Festival, as well as receiving opportunities to perform for key artistic staff and receive feedback to aid their development. They will also be introduced to other departments at Glyndebourne for insight into the full range of career opportunities in opera.
Representatives from Glyndebourne will also attend Pegasus Opera auditions and showcases to help Glyndebourne spot emerging talent who can be encouraged to audition for the Glyndebourne Chorus, a proven launchpad for a professional career in opera.
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Stephen Langridge, artistic director of Glyndebourne, said: ‘Our relationship with Pegasus Opera is incredibly valuable, developing more each year as we learn from and support each other. The feedback that we get from the mentees is helping shape the programme for future participants, and the wider partnership is supporting our commitment to a fully inclusive and diverse workplace culture both on and off the stage.’
Alison Buchanan, artistic director of Pegasus Opera Company, said: ‘As we launch our fifth year of the Pegasus mentorship with our Pegasus and Glyndebourne Scholars, I reflect on the tremendous impact this relationship has had on our singers, how important it is and how it hones them, inspires them and is a game changer in their development. I am excited for this next year. Glyndebourne holds a special place in my heart, it is where I got my start as a singer and love that this partnership not only continues, but flourishes. Additionally, through the support of the Laidlaw Opera Trust, the programme continues to grow and develop and afford our wonderful young artists an opportunity to hone their skills, be mentored by and have masterclasses with world class artists, to gain career advice and get performance opportunities in a bespoke way. What makes me most proud is to see our mentees blossom during the scheme, to watch them as they become more confident, improve vocally and leave the year-long programme empowered to enter an industry that has excluded them in the past. I am proud that they have trusted us to be part of their journey.’
Taking part in 2025
The past two seasons saw many debuts for French-Kabylian coloratura soprano, Marie Cayeux, who was the Fire, the Princess and the Nightingale in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges (Opéra de Monte-Carlo), covered Adele in Die Fledermaus (If Opera), performed Barbara in Roman Fever (Pegasus Opera), covered the Woodbird in Siegfried (Longborough Festival Opera), sang Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann (Brent Opera) and the Fée de Noël in Le Château enchanté (Opéra Royal de Wallonie).
UK-based since 2018, Marie is currently one of four Glyndebourne mentees as part of the prestigious Pegasus Opera Mentorship Programme. An alumna of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, she is the recipient of many prizes at international competitions as well as bursaries from the International Opera Awards Foundation, the Hamilton Duval Music Foundation and Help Musicians UK.
Elizabeth Mwale is a 23 year old Welsh/English mezzo soprano who has recently graduated from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where she studied under vocal teacher John Evans.
Her recent roles include Hänsel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, the title role in Handel’s Ariodante, and the Dryad in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, all performed as part of Guildhall’s Vocal Scenes.
This summer, Elizabeth will appear in a vocal scenes course in France, performing roles such as Marcellina in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and Bianca in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia.
Tylor Lamani is a South African-born tenor praised for his lyrical tone, expressive musicianship, and commanding stage presence. A recipient of the Fine Music Radio Singing Competition scholarship and a prize winner in the Schock Foundation Singing Competition, he was also awarded First Prize and Best Interpretation in a major South African competition celebrating local composers.
Tylor has performed leading roles including Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Tebaldo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), and Alfredo (La Traviata), with companies such as Cape Town Opera, English Touring Opera, and Barefoot Opera. He recently sang Marcellus and covered Laertes in Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet at the Buxton International Festival.
As a concert soloist, he has appeared in Verdi’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. Upcoming highlights include L’elisir d’amore with English Touring Opera and a recital at the Grasmere Song Festival in August 2025.
Mezzo-soprano Bonnie Liu, the winner of Janet Price Opera Prize 2025, is currently one of the artists in the cohort of Glyndebourne training programme supported by Pegasus Opera Company.
Her opera core roles include Sifare in Mitridate, re di Ponto, Annio in La Clemenza di Tito, Giacinta in La finta semplice. She has also covered La Vecchietta in Respighi’s La Bella Dormente nel Bosco and Oberon in A Midsummer’s Night Dream under the baton of Maestro Carlo Rizzi and James Southall. Other opera roles in opera scenes includes title role in Carmen, Rape of Lucretia, Hänsel und Gretel and La Cenerentola. She has also performed in the Opera Gala Concert with Welsh National Opera.
As a concert soloist, she has performed alongside Sir Bryn Terfel in concert ‘Pan Ddaw’r Nos’. Other sacred works include Bach’s Mass in B minor, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem and Schubert’s Mass No. 5.
Liu is also keen to perform contemporary operas. She performed in Hong Kong Arts Festival’s opera productions including Professor Chan Hing Yan’s Heart of Coral and Datong, and Daniel Lo’s Women Like Us.
Liu recently graduated with a master degree of music performance with distinction from Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Her studies were supported by Help Musicians Postgraduate awards and the college scholarships.
About Pegasus Opera Company
Pegasus is a professional opera company with a family of widespread international artists, participants and supporters. We produce high-quality performances and balance this with a focus on artist development, with an eye to promoting the talents of emerging artists of global majority heritage and bringing this onto eminent platforms of note and significance.
For 30 years, Pegasus Opera Company has been the home for singers, composers, instrumentalists and directors predominantly, but not exclusively, from diverse global majority backgrounds.
Established in south London and grown from solid and credible roots, we still work out of our home in Brixton. The Company has held true to our founder Lloyd Newton’s credo of ‘harmony in diversity’. We have inspired many to love opera; and we celebrate the music of rich African, Asian and Caribbean diasporas whilst weaving into the fabric of the British performing arts, using creativity to challenge and advocate for positive change.
