Opera company Glyndebourne has cancelled its 2023 touring programme after cuts to its public funding. The prestigious venue, located near Lewes, East Sussex, has taken its productions to audiences around England since 1968.
It said it had been successful in its application to the 2023–2026 national portfolio of Arts Council England (Ace) but the £800,000 annual funding offered was half that received during the last period. In November, Ace announced a new national portfolio of funding for museums, libraries and other art organisations featuring investment to 276 new institutions.
That meant a total of 990 institutions will share £446 million each year, up from 714 organisations previously, resulting in institutions such as the Donwar Warehouse and others seeing a cut to their annual funding. Richard Davidson-Houston, managing director of Glyndebourne, said: “The latest funding settlement from Arts Council England is devastating for many in the opera sector, which was targeted with significant cuts.
