LONGBOROUGH FESTIVAL OPERA: The Most Extraordinary Opera House in England

Charlotte Metcalf interviews Emily Gottlieb,Executive Director and Polly Graham, Artistic Director at Longborough Festival Opera. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of Longborough Festival Opera on its current site. Over three decades, the opera house has established a mighty reputation as the ‘English Bayreuth’ and dazzled and delighted audiences with its magical ability to fuse a sense of homemade informality with exceptional quality.

One image that encapsulates Longborough’s spirit is a photograph of founder, Martin Graham, in front of the opera house he built in his barn. He sits on a row of crimson, velveteen seats that he rescued from the Royal Opera House while a cluster of scraggly chickens squabble and jostle around him. 

Martin died a year ago, aged 83, and his daughter Polly, already Artistic Director, has taken up his reins with her trusted Executive Director Emily Gottlieb and an outstanding team of artistic talent, including Anthony Negus as Music Director.

"Martin’s spirit endures in Polly," says Emily Gottlieb, "and we’re honouring it by being forever ambitious and plucky. 'No' was never an option and we’re always thinking, 'what would Martin do?' Even if we had to move the barn, we’d do it." 

This summer’s festival kicks off with Handel’s Orlando. "Dad learned to love classical music listening to records in the workshop of a local furniture maker when he was a little boy," says Polly. "He’d be thrilled about the opportunities we are creating for the Youth Chorus to participate in our work with the Academy of Ancient Music, with Beth Taylor debuting in the title role.” 

"In fact, it’s quite a theme this year to be working with relative newcomers to the roles," adds Emily. “After Orlando is Tristan und Isolde and then Macbeth, our first production of Verdi’s masterpiece with Mark Stone singing the title role for his first time." 

One of Longborough Festival Opera’s values is apprenticeship, but you can only be an apprentice to a master or mistress. "To have really established singers like Anna Devin, Beth Taylor, Andrew Foster Williams, Katie Bray, Peter Wedd, Mark Stone, Catherine Carby, Robert Hayward, Jung Soo Yun and Lee Bissett in the company is truly an honour. It's part of the magic of our theatre that audiences get to be up close with world-class performers,” Emily enthuses. 

There is a woodland theme running through the festival - Orlando features a tangle of lovers who lose and find each other in a forest, carving their desires on the trees; Tristan und Isolde escape King Marke's hunting party to discover their love, Hansel and Gretel find the witch's cottage in the depths of the German wald and of course, Birnam wood rises up and marches towards Dunsinane, signalling Macbeth's downfall. 

Lucy Bailey, recently known for setting Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution in County Hall, directs Hansel and Gretel, again with many of the key roles played by emerging artists. "I hero worship Lucy," says Polly, "she has such a sense of setting things firmly in their place. She’s been so clever and imaginative with the witch’s cottage and Humperdinck’s late-romantic opera will be such a beautiful ending to our season. And we have Karen Kamensek in the pit, the extraordinary, internationally renowned conductor whom – again – we're delighted to be working with for the first time." 

The opera seats 500 and tickets sell fast, which partly explains the popularity of Longborough’s tiered Membership Scheme, with access to priority booking. For members in the two top tiers, it offers coveted access to the Metropolitan Opera Club in New York. "Our 1,000 or so members are absolutely critical, both valuable and valued," says Polly, "so we try to personally get to know as many of them as humanly possible." 

Beyond its members, the community remains Longborough’s number one priority. "The Cotswolds are seen as a wealthy area, but there's lots of rural poverty here which we try to address in our own way," says Polly. "Dad went to the local primary school and was named in the Chipping Campden School’s Hall of Fame. Our doors were always thrown open to the community and our basement used to host the local playgroup while the village fête was in our garden.” 

The Youth Chorus, founded in 2019, comprises 55 young people between seven and 21, with bursaries for those who can’t afford the modest subscription. Meanwhile, Longborough’s Playground Opera is presenting reimagined versions of operas, such as Hansel and Gretel, alongside workshops in schools and the Community Chorus, founded in 2023, is an open opportunity for local adults who wish to perform. 

For those who’ve never visited, there were two exciting ‘taster’ musical evenings during April, at the Grade I-listed Kirtlington House in Oxfordshire and at London’s Ognisko Polskie, the Polish Hearth Club. "Many don’t realise how easy it is to get here," says Emily. "It’s under two hours by train from London, and then a shuttle service in our ‘Hedgehog’ bus." 

“We're so keen for people to experience how enjoyable it is," says Polly. "We try and meet everyone who comes, either in the marquee or our restaurant, which offers fine dining by the team at Cotswold Fine Dining, who have catered for us for many seasons. This year, we're also delighted to be partnering with D'Ambrosi in Stow-on-the-Wold for our picnic hampers for the first time. Unlike Glyndebourne we don't have a dress code so people come as they like, some in jeans and trainers, others beautifully dressed to the nines for a fun sense of occasion. Even our programmes are exquisite keepsakes, where this year's cover design features artwork by Gerhard Richter. 

"We’ve planned an ambitious summer season of outstanding quality, full of surprises and inventiveness, and we’re hoping that word about us spreads to the capital and further afield as we extend a warm welcome to absolutely everyone.” 

Find out more and book tickets on the Longborough Festival Opera website: www.lfo.org.uk