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Glyndebourne Youth Opera Performance Projects

We are committed to enabling local young people to access unique world-class operatic experiences, with exceptional performance opportunities at the very heart of our programme.

Perform at Glyndebourne

Audition to perform in bizet’s carmen in festival 2024

We are looking for young singers aged between 9 -13 years old, to be part of the children’s chorus in our brand new production of Bizet’s Carmen in Festival 2024. Auditions will be held at Glyndebourne across the weekend of 20 and 21 January and will involve preparatory workshops on the Saturday, followed by auditions on the Sunday. 

During the weekend we will prepare participants by delving into the music and language of Bizet’s opera Carmen. Our Vocal Talent Consultant Mary King will lead the sessions with professional singing coach Arlene Rolph and a team of creative professionals. Together we will explore singing, movement, and French language to ensure participants feel prepared and comfortable ahead of the audition. 

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Please note: we will aim to accommodate as many applicants as possible. We will confirm places and further details regarding workshop and audition timings following application reviews by the end of the working day on 10 January 2024.

Following the auditions, successful applicants will be invited to attend coaching sessions on Saturday mornings throughout February and March 2024, ahead of mainstage rehearsals which will begin at the end of March.

Key dates
  • Sunday 7 January: Application deadline
  • Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 January: Preparatory workshop & audition
  • Saturday mornings, from 24 Feb – 23 March: Coaching sessions
  • Monday 25 March: Mainstage rehearsals start
  • Thursday 16 May: Opening night

Eligibility
  • Aged 9 – 13 on Saturday 20 January 
  • Live within 25 miles of Glyndebourne
  • Available for all of the rehearsal and performance dates
  • Have taken part in previous GYO activity
  • Gained permission from school (see notes below)

A full schedule of rehearsals and performances can be found here.

Please read: Important information for performers

Following coaching sessions, there is a six week production rehearsal period for the children with the cast and director. Once the children start to work with our director, they are very much part of the company rehearsals and will be called during the day time. This means missing some school, although schedules are carefully arranged to avoid too much disruption to the children’s education.

Schedules are issued a week in advance on the Friday – however we try and predict the maximum amount of sessions required across the entire period.

Rehearsal times run from 10.30 – 13.30 and 14.30-17.30, changing to 15.00 – 18.00 when on stage.

In the final two weeks leading up to opening night, the schedule becomes a little heavier and stage rehearsals are more demanding. It is important that children continue to attend school when they are not in rehearsals, as the regulations for children working in entertainment dictate their education should not suffer by reason of them performing.

Once the production is open, the time commitment reduces, with one or two performances per week, and children should be able to attend school most of the time as the performances start after school hours.

In order to obtain a child performance licence, your child’s school must give permission for their absence for rehearsals and performances. Ahead of auditioning, please speak with your headteacher about this – as it’s very upsetting for the child if they are cast and then cannot then get permission for absence, as it puts their place in the production at risk.

During all rehearsals and performances, the children are chaperoned by fully trained, licensed chaperones. This is a legal requirement of the child performance licence and is a vital part of our child safeguarding procedures. You will be required to bring your children to and from Glyndebourne but will not be able to stay with them whilst they are working.

Stay in touch

If you would like to receive further details of GYO workshops and performance projects you can join the GYO mailing list and receive updates throughout the year.

You can also get in contact with any questions by email to takepart@glyndebourne.com or by calling 01273 815 023.


Glyndebourne’s Learning & Engagement programme is made possible thanks to Arts Council England and generous donations through Glyndebourne’s New Generation Programme.

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