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Glyndebourne has partnered with Pegasus Opera for the PAST FOUR years to present a Mentoring Programme, which offers aspiring and emerging artists of global majority heritage a bespoke programme of coaching and mentoring opportunities.
The participants will be given opportunities to observe rehearsals and shadow established artists at the 2025 Glyndebourne Festival, as well as receiving opportunities to perform for key artistic staff and receive feedback to aid their development. They will also be introduced to other departments at Glyndebourne for insight into the full range of career opportunities in opera.
Representatives from Glyndebourne will also attend Pegasus Opera auditions and showcases to help Glyndebourne spot emerging talent who can be encouraged to audition for the Glyndebourne Chorus, a proven launchpad for a professional career in opera.
Taking part in 2025
The past two seasons saw many debuts for French-Kabylian coloratura soprano, Marie Cayeux, who was the Fire, the Princess and the Nightingale in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges (Opéra de Monte-Carlo), covered Adele in Die Fledermaus (If Opera), performed Barbara in Roman Fever (Pegasus Opera), covered the Woodbird in Siegfried (Longborough Festival Opera), sang Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann (Brent Opera) and the Fée de Noël in Le Château enchanté (Opéra Royal de Wallonie).
UK-based since 2018, Marie is currently one of four Glyndebourne mentees as part of the prestigious Pegasus Opera Mentorship Programme. An alumna of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, she is the recipient of many prizes at international competitions as well as bursaries from the International Opera Awards Foundation, the Hamilton Duval Music Foundation and Help Musicians UK.
Elizabeth Mwale is a 23 year old Welsh/English mezzo soprano who has recently graduated from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where she studied under vocal teacher John Evans.
Her recent roles include Hänsel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, the title role in Handel’s Ariodante, and the Dryad in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, all performed as part of Guildhall’s Vocal Scenes.
This summer, Elizabeth will appear in a vocal scenes course in France, performing roles such as Marcellina in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and Bianca in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia.
Tylor Lamani is a South African-born tenor praised for his lyrical tone, expressive musicianship, and commanding stage presence. A recipient of the Fine Music Radio Singing Competition scholarship and a prize winner in the Schock Foundation Singing Competition, he was also awarded First Prize and Best Interpretation in a major South African competition celebrating local composers.
Tylor has performed leading roles including Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Tebaldo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), and Alfredo (La Traviata), with companies such as Cape Town Opera, English Touring Opera, and Barefoot Opera. He recently sang Marcellus and covered Laertes in Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet at the Buxton International Festival.
As a concert soloist, he has appeared in Verdi’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. Upcoming highlights include L’elisir d’amore with English Touring Opera and a recital at the Grasmere Song Festival in August 2025.
Mezzo-soprano Bonnie Liu, the winner of Janet Price Opera Prize 2025, is currently one of the artists in the cohort of Glyndebourne training programme supported by Pegasus Opera Company.
Her opera core roles include Sifare in Mitridate, re di Ponto, Annio in La Clemenza di Tito, Giacinta in La finta semplice. She has also covered La Vecchietta in Respighi’s La Bella Dormente nel Bosco and Oberon in A Midsummer’s Night Dream under the baton of Maestro Carlo Rizzi and James Southall. Other opera roles in opera scenes includes title role in Carmen, Rape of Lucretia, Hänsel und Gretel and La Cenerentola. She has also performed in the Opera Gala Concert with Welsh National Opera.
As a concert soloist, she has performed alongside Sir Bryn Terfel in concert ‘Pan Ddaw’r Nos’. Other sacred works include Bach’s Mass in B minor, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem and Schubert’s Mass No. 5.
Liu is also keen to perform contemporary operas. She performed in Hong Kong Arts Festival’s opera productions including Professor Chan Hing Yan’s Heart of Coral and Datong, and Daniel Lo’s Women Like Us.
Liu recently graduated with a master degree of music performance with distinction from Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Her studies were supported by Help Musicians Postgraduate awards and the college scholarships.
