Thea Adams, a First Year pupil at Bede’s Senior School in Upper Dicker, has been accepted to perform in Glyndebourne Festival’s debut production of Hector Berlioz’s ‘La Damnation de Faust’. The opera, which tells the tale of a man who trades his soul for all the pleasures of the world, will run at Glyndebourne, Lewes, from 18 May until 10 July.

Thea, who sings soprano and mezzo soprano, will form part of the choir, which she was accepted into following an intensive two-day workshop and audition. She says: “I am thrilled to be performing at Glyndebourne Festival this year. I was inspired to perform at Glyndebourne when I saw their production of ‘Cendrillon’ last summer, and when I saw that applications were open for the Festival I was excited to apply.

“I have already met some amazing people at the auditions and rehearsals, and am thrilled to be a part of the Glyndebourne community.”

Thea is a Performing Arts Scholar at Bede’s, and is currently studying for her Grade 7 Singing and Grade 6 Flute. She will embark on her GCSE studies next year, which will of course include Music. Thea is looking forward to performing in a range of productions at Bede’s, and will continue auditioning for music and drama roles in a variety of productions (from contemporary to opera).

Mr Robert Scamardella, Director of Music at Bede’s, says: “To perform at a prestigious event such as Glyndebourne Festival is a tremendous achievement for any musician, let alone someone at such a young stage of their career. We are very proud of Thea, and look forward to seeing her perform at Glyndebourne and in many more productions in the future.”