2022-23 Annual Report

AnnuA l RepoRt 2022 –23

ou R s t RAtegy

Present a Festival of world-class opera productions for both the local and the wider community, which can offer a reflection of who we are, and what it means to be human

Augment our offer with ballet, jazz and other performing arts

Ensure that we remain accessible, inclusive, relevant and forward thinking

Deliver impactful, meaningful Education projects in the local community with trusted partners. Bring music, theatre, and creativity to children

Support artists and technical staff in their development through opportunities to learn and perform, scholarships and cover roles

Build our financial sustainability through ticket sales, fundraising and partnerships, and commit to growing our endowment to protect our future

Sustain and build an experienced, skilled and passionate team and Board of Trustees to deliver our strategy, grow our reach and develop our audience and impact

The Grange Festival Registered Address

Grange, Northington, Alresford, Hampshire SO24 9TZ Principal Office

Hill Farm, Itchen Stoke, Alresford, Hampshire SO24 9TF

Charity Number 1165859

© James Musselwhite Cover: Dawn to Dusk © James Musselwhite

looking outwAR ds

Messages from our Artistic Director and Chair of the Board of Trustees

2023 felt like the first post-Covid Festival which was back to full throttle. We sold well, we performed to great reviews and we received loud audience acclaim. And the sun beamed throughout.

I was immensely proud of each opera production, true to and revealing of its subject matter. Our two nights of jazz shifted the tone and filled the theatre. A few moments to take away: Russian and Ukrainian principal singers in The Queen of Spades stepping downstage to a standing ovation, their hands joined in unity; a shockingly affecting physical fall back into the underworld by Euridice; timelessly beautiful singing of Mozart’s Un’aura amorosa in Così; Mathis Picard’s breathtaking opening piano jazz riff.

“In the end, it’s all about the performance and sharing the creativity and joy of the arts with the community and the next generation”

Saturday performances had a noticeably younger audience. We were delighted to see so many guests in our audience from overseas. We never stop celebrating our resident orchestra, The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; and our Chorus gets better and better, a totally committed cohort of young soloists. I am immensely grateful to our extraordinary team in the office, our backstage technical team and our dedicated army of front-of-house volunteers. Oh, and we were the only UK festival to be nominated for International Opera Awards Festival of the Year. Not bad considering how young we are.

In the end, it’s all about the performance and sharing the creativity and joy of the arts with the community and the next generation. That is why we exist. Many have told me that it was our best Festival yet. Thank you to everyone who made the year the joyous success that it was.

Michael Chance CBE Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director

Michael Chance, Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director © Leela Bennett

I was delighted to become Chair during the 2023 Season. I extend my appreciation to my fellow Trustees, many new to the Board, for their contagious enthusiasm and tireless efforts.

With opera in the UK at a crossroads, The Grange Festival is at an exciting inflection point. With the recent appointment of Tyler Stoops as CEO, together with Michael Chance as Artistic Director and the team we are excited to evaluate the scope of future Festivals, while continuing to foster innovation, relevance and inclusivity. Reflecting our commitment to fiscal prudence, environmental responsibility and collaboration, I’m delighted that two of our 2024 productions will transfer to European opera houses.

Audience engagement and growth remain vital. We will continue to introduce more people to the joy of opera and the performing arts, enhanced by the magical setting of The Grange, and with a focus on our growing High Flyers group of younger supporters. We want to expand our national and international profile, underpinned by renewed fundraising efforts that will secure our young organisation's sustainability.

“During moments of global turbulence, opera shows us what it means to be human”

Our Learning programmes continue to nurture creativity and life skills in our young participants. I’m particularly proud of our Gosport Educational Cultural Project – a beacon of celebration of the heritage and culture of children in Gosport, transforming what Arts Council England identifies as a 'cultural cold spot' over three impactful years.

I thank the hundreds of talented people from different walks of life – staff, freelancers, artists, creatives – who play a critical role in delivering each performance at The Grange. You collectively make us see, feel and hear the world differently.

And their efforts are only possible through our supporters: whether our paths have crossed or are yet to intertwine, I extend my warmest gratitude to you all. During moments of global turbulence, opera shows us what it means to be human. Thank you for allowing us to do this.

Sir Richard Mantle OBE DL Chair

Richard Mantle, The Grange Festival Chair © Sam Toolsie

THE COMPANY

MICHAEL CHANCE CBE

Chief Executive Officer & Artistic Director

ANNABEL ROSS

Finance Manager

SCOTT COOPER Director of Artistic Administration

MICHAEL MOODY Chief Operations

Officer

KIMBERLEY REILLY

Operations & Production Co-ordinator

CORNELIA

NORIE - MILLER Box Office Manager

GEMMA SLIMM

Events & Box Office Assistant

LUCY FUTTER Head of Communications & Partnerships

ALICE BLINCOE Brand & Marketing Manager

CONNOR APPS

Marketing & Box Office Assistant

PARTNERS OUR TRUSTEES

NICHOLAS ALLAN

SIR RICHARD MANTLE Chair

OLIVER BAINES

MALCOLM LE MAY DOUGLAS RAE

CAROLINE GREENHALGH

RACHEL PEARSON Director of Development

SUSAN HAMILTON Director of Learning

MAHEEN MOHAMMADALLY Learning Co-ordinator

ROSAMUND HORWOOD - SMART KC

Caroline Blair (Amore) in Orfeo ed Euridice © Craig Fuller

“It’s not stuffy, it’s not elitist. I feel that I kind of belong”

Emma, Festival Friend

OUR i M pAC ts

Audiences from

18 countries

1,0 82 rehearsal hours and

8,573 tickets sold

£1,673,778 raised in membership subscriptions, donations, sponsorship and grants

40 performance hours

1,158 children inspired by our Learning programme

1,015 hours donated by

42 extraordinary volunteers

92% average capacity across the Festival

3 dress rehearsals for the local community

4 61 subsidised tickets for under-35s

3 jazz performances

2 schools performances

6 0 % open rate for our emails (industry benchmark is 20%)

1 new production

Jerome Jennings, Ellington: From Stride to Strings © James Musselwhite

LOOKING BACK AT A FESTIVAL OF sunshine A nd CelebRAtions

COSÌ FAN TUTTE

“This was as close to perfection as any Così can be”

Music OMH

ORFEO ED EURIDICE/ DIDO AND AENEAS

“The Grange Festival has put together the perfect combination of forces to bring these works to life…”

Audience Member

THE QUEEN OF SPADES

“The Queen of Spades was the best production of the opera that I have experienced. Direction, acting, singing, conductor, orchestra, for me, really captured the depth of the opera, psychology and emotion”

Audience Member

ELLINGTON: FROM STRIDE TO STRINGS

“An evening that clearly intrigued and delighted a mostly non-jazz audience. It deserves to be repeated in other settings”

Richard Williams

With gratitude to our sponsors:

“It was brilliant to come out from behind-the-scenes and chat with audiences about our jobs and the Festival. I always love these conversations, and seeing how enthusiastic people are about hearing about parts of my role which to me seem quite normal and mundane, but which to others can be fascinating!”

Steve Phillips, Company Manager

© Ben Blincoe

“When you come here, there’s a really joyous atmosphere. Literally, the moment you step on site. The whole vibe is joyous”

Becka, Audience Member

looking FoRwAR ds THROUGH SUSTAINABLE FUNDRAISING

Against a background of uncertainty in fundraising for so many charities, we couldn’t be more grateful to each person and organisation that supported our work. Thanks to their combined commitment, we raised £1,673,778 during 2022–23.

“Our Festival Friends and donors really are the beating heart of the Festival. They enable us to be ambitious and support our extensive programme of outreach and learning in schools and communities across the county. It means we are noticed at home and internationally, and this allows us to plan a healthy future for the Festival as we strive to fulfil our mission to inspire, educate, and entertain our community. We cannot be too grateful to our supporters for the very real difference they make.”

Rachel Pearson, Director of Development

As ever, donations from our Members, charitable trusts and corporate partners played a huge part in our fundraising success; we are hugely grateful to the extraordinary contribution from each and every one of you, particularly our Members at all levels. We wish to offer particular thanks to those who gave us unrestricted and core cost funding. Gifts across the year allowed us to grow our Education work, continue our artist development programme, and stage productions of the highest quality at subsidised prices.

We were most grateful to our corporate sponsors for their gifts in-kind, such as pro bono advice, local doctors-on-call, refreshments for our events and complimentary uses of event spaces.

OUR FUNDRAISING INCOME BY SOURCE OUR MEMBERS

£1,191,878 Donations

£246,023 Membership Subscriptions

£126,000 Trusts and Foundations

£109,877 Corporate Sponsorship

283 The Footlights

239 The Wings

141 The Rostrum

68 The High Flyers (Under 35’s)

68 The Prompt Corner

20 The Limelight

3 The Sweet Spot

GRANGE FESTIVAL EVENTS

Across the year, to grow audiences’ understanding and love of opera, we hosted a number of events. These ranged from insights, showcases, networking evenings and events for local families.

We welcomed people of all ages to events at The Grange, in local venues and in London. Our most popular event was a joint event with the Hampshire Gardens Trust, for a private view and recital at the Ashburtons’ walled garden, to which we welcomed 112 guests.

Highlights from the year included a supporters' tour to Athens, two private tours of rarely seen gardens, and insight events at private members’ clubs in London.

“I love doing opera in this very intimate setting because I think you can really enjoy all the detail and the nuances that sometimes get lost in a big house”

Christopher Luscombe, Director

© Maryana Bodnar

“I love the place, the people and the programme –the combination is a winner! I was so proud of Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades last year: Dame Josephine Barstow, with Russian and Ukrainian singers, creating a passionate and emotional evening together with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paul Daniel, outstanding direction and design and all of them rewarded with a standing ovation by a packed house; magic!”

Rosamund Horwood-Smart KC, Trustee

INSPIRING loCA l ChildR en A nd young people

Over the last five years, our year-round Learning programme has combined a broad range of creative arts – music, drama, dance, design, creative writing and visual arts – to nurture creativity. Our projects and residencies led by our outstanding artistic teams are giving young people non-selective opportunities to explore and develop their imagination beyond the restrictions of timetable and evaluation.

Throughout the past year, we have been deeply engaged in collaborative efforts, particularly with valued partners like the University of Winchester. Our focus has been on delivering innovative devising projects across the performing arts, aiming to foster creativity and essential life skills among young individuals.

40

local schools engaged

100 + teachers supported

1,158

local children aged 7–21 inspired

40 + funders

“By seeing the creative process students were exposed to the professional opera industry and created an entirely new piece of theatre that spanned cultures and continents”

Marilitsa Alexiou, Head of Perins’ Creative Arts

Dawn to Dusk © James Musselwhite

GOSPORT EDUCATIONAL CULTURAL PROJECT

In January, we initiated a significant 3-year project in collaboration with the Hampshire Cultural Education Partnership and Hampshire Music Service. This endeavour, made possible through the support of our valued funders, Vanquis Banking Group and Phillips Law, brought together children and young people from diverse backgrounds in Gosport to celebrate their heritage and culture through immersive cross-arts engagement.

Our ‘pilot’ project saw interactive workshops reaching five Gosport schools, covering a range of artistic disciplines from creative writing to 3D art, jazz improvisation to rap. Each school drew inspiration from their local surroundings to create unique works of art. Facilitated by our team, over 200 young people delved into their local heritage, producing pieces that were proudly exhibited at the Gosport Discovery Centre in April.

OPEN HOUSE

We offered Hampshire students the opportunity to see our Season’s full-scale productions at no cost. Insightful introductions about storylines, musical themes, details and designs accompanied each performance, and young people were introduced to members of our creative teams, cast, orchestral members and backstage technicians to give them a full understanding of the rehearsal process and technical complexities. For many, this was their first visit to a professional theatre.

“I was mesmerised by how well the orchestra played. It has inspired me to listen to different styles and genres of music more.”

Scan here to watch the project in action

With gratitude to our sponsors:

© James Musselwhite

© Leela Bennett

creative arts project to devise a contemporary youth opera, which was co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and a Nominee of the FEDORA Education Prize 2022. The piece was conceived and devised by young people from the UK, Italy, Syria, Palestine and Lebanon who connected digitally to discuss their stories, beliefs and hopes through music and text. Professional artists wove their words and musical ideas into a mythical youth opera, The Moon is Listening. Our fully staged production featured an impressive group of Year 7 and 8 pupils from two local schools. For many, music had not played a significant role in their lives. Indeed, some had never had a specialist music lesson or participated in a group performance, let alone an opera.

“It was a privilege for Perins School to take part in this collaborative and insightful community project with The Grange. Seeing our students perform and share a stage with children from a world very different from their own, was highly emotive and humbling. This project fostered creativity, promoted cultural understanding, provided a platform for self-expression, and strengthened community bonds.”

Perins School

Scan here to watch a performance  of The Moon is Listening

Visit The Grange Festival Learning

Dawn to Dusk © James Musselwhite

DEVELOPING FUTURE ARTISTS AND CREATIVES

In 2022, we initiated an annual prize for outstanding Company members displaying promise in vocal and stage craft, as well as communication skills. This initiative, primarily for singers early in their careers, assesses their approach over weeks or months rather than a single audition, providing financial support for lessons, coaching, travel and language classes.

In 2023, we expanded the prize to acknowledge the most promising young technical member of the Company. Beyond awards, we actively promote young artists, offering opportunities to sing minor roles, cover larger roles, join masterclasses with singers such as Dame Ann Murray and perform at our Founders’ Christmas Party. Future plans include involving young artists in our Learning programme and hosting profile-enhancing performances.

“I am honoured to receive The Grange Festival Prize 2023 for the Most Outstanding Young Performer, and I would like to thank The Grange Festival for their kindness and generosity. It has been so much fun to work at The Grange where I have made many lifelong friends. Receiving this prize gives me encouragement, hope and the determination to further develop my voice and become a better singer and musician.”

Armand Rabot

BUILDING OUR FUTURE AUDIENCE

We continued to encourage young people to enjoy our productions – vital for opera sector sustainability and offering enriching cultural, educational, and artistic experiences.

Our under-35 membership group, The High Flyers, sold 77% more tickets than the previous year, with an average age of 30. For a modest annual fee, young supporters relished Festival productions with House-wide tickets priced at just £40. Given the increasing average age of opera audiences in the UK, this initiative holds significant importance.

“Thanks to The Grange Festival Prize sponsors, Judy and Richard Haes, I could undertake an unpaid internship at Magdeburg Theatre in Germany, assisting on a production of Die Blume von Hawaii. The funds also supported my participation in a UK writing/directing course, headshot updates, and preparation for a European opera stage director competition. The Grange is a very special place to work, with some of the world’s best productions and some of the world’s best artists. I’m so proud to have been a part of the last few seasons.”

Rachel Wise

Isabel Maria Araujo (2022 Festival Prize Winner) as Prilepa in The Queen of Spades © Craig Fuller

The High Flyers © James Musselwhite

looking outwAR ds TO THE WORLD…

Perhaps more than any other, opera is an international artform. Our chorus, conductors, music staff, directors, designers, singers and language coach represented a remarkable 15 countries in our 2023 Festival.

And the arts remain a unifying force: one of the most moving moments from the 2023 Festival came at the end of the opening performance of The Queen of Spades, when the four principal men, singers from both Ukraine and Russia, stepped to the front of the stage, their hands joined in solidarity.

PARTNERSHIPS AND COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

104

local organisations and companies supported – from food suppliers to set-builders, from family-run hotels to photographers

51 families and individuals generously hosted a performer or artist at their home during the Festival

20

artists’ work exhibited at The Grange in partnership with Outside In, a charity which supports artists who encounter significant barriers to the art world

15 local charities received complimentary tickets for use in their fundraising activities

Nicholas Lester (Guglielmo); Alessandro Fisher (Ferrando) in Così fan tutte © Craig Fuller

Back cover: The Grange Festival Chorus and Children’s Chorus in The Queen of Spades © Craig Fuller

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