Guest Blog: 'It is No Ordinary Opera': Glyndebourne Chorus Member Andrew Davies on Dedication, Commitment and Talent

La bohème. Glyndebourne. Three trumpeters blare out a fanfare as the chorus pours onto stage, ready to deliver the myriad vocal interjections which mark out the beginning of Act 2. But Glyndebourne is No Ordinary Opera, and this is no ordinary scene.

On a single musical cue, thirty-six choristers, dressed as Parisian waiters and cafegoers, unload and set onto stage eight tables and thirty-three cast-iron chairs, while delivering musical cues with pinpoint precision, in just 38 seconds. It is a feat of preparation, dedication, talent, commitment and painstaking rehearsal, and is an example of what makes the Glyndebourne Chorus one of the most special in the opera world.

Selected each year for the Glyndebourne Festival, the chorus is made up of some of the most promising operatic talent in the UK. At its core is a group of ten permanent singers, with decades of experience between them, who are joined by newly-established professionals and others freshly out of music college, hungry for opportunity and new experiences.

This mix is at the heart of what makes the chorus such a renowned training ground for the UK’s opera stars; young singers with world-class voices learn stage craft and musical skills ‘on the job’ from their more experienced colleagues, while contributing to a sound which is clear, vibrant and unified.

The experience can be all-consuming. Over the course of the summer, a singer might be involved in four different operas, by July performing in two operas on alternate nights, while spending the mornings rehearsing a third in the studio and learning the music for the fourth – often in completely different languages and styles. Meanwhile, principal roles are 'covered' by members of the chorus, meaning yet more study, rehearsal and perhaps, a chance to 'go on'.

The Autumn Season is no less intense. In 2025 the Chorus gave nine performances of La bohème and seven of a brand-new opera by Mark-Anthony Turnage, The Railway Children. All while preparing understudies of these two operas and Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and for concerts of Christmas music and Messiah.

Concerts form the final tranche of Glyndebourne's performance year. The annual Christmas Concerts, with their mix of operatic highlights and seasonal favourites, have become a firm fixture and are hugely popular with audiences. Glyndebourne has in recent years coupled these with performances of a classic choral work, and this year is the turn of Handel's masterpiece, Messiah.

Preparing for Messiah is a major undertaking for the chorus. While some members have performed it hundreds of times before, other newly trained opera singers have never sung it. Learning a huge quantity of music, getting operatic voices around fiendish fast notes (coloratura), with a unified sound, in an unfamiliar style, is a huge challenge. But this is where the combination of experience, exuberance and hard work can create a magical result. The sound of these powerful voices, trained to create emotional expressiveness and vocal colours, is truly thrilling.

This year sees a new venture for the chorus; as well as four performances of Messiah at Glyndebourne, it will hit the road for a performance at London's Royal Albert Hall. Building on the success of Glyndebourne's annual 'Prom', this is a unique opportunity for the Chorus, together with the magnificent Glyndebourne Sinfonia, to take centre stage and showcase their talents in this most prestigious of London venues.

For me personally, this will be a particularly special occasion. Thirty years ago, I was amongst a group of teenagers from my secondary school choir – together with a few dedicated teachers – who took a coach to London to sing ‘Messiah from scratch’ at the Royal Albert Hall. It was probably the first time I’d sung a piece of classical music, certainly the first time singing with an orchestra (it seemed miles away!). It was a complete revelation to me.

Now, having sung Messiah hundreds of times in the intervening years, I’ll perform it once again in that iconic venue. The buzz of performing there will be tinged with a happy nostalgia, a sense of coming full circle, and the sense that this great music has been ever-present in my musical life. It will be a night to remember.

Glyndebourne's Autumn Season continues with Handel's Messiah from 29 November - 15 December. The performance at the Royal Albert Hall is on 5 December.