imported>Jevansen: Moving from Category:Opera managers to Category:British opera managers using Cat-a-lot

2024-04-09T03:44:11Z

Moving from Category:Opera managers to Category:British opera managers using Cat-a-lot

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{{short description|British opera manager}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''John Christie''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|CH|MC}} (14 December 1882 – 4 July 1962) was an [[England|English]] [[landowner]] and [[theatrical producer]]. He was the founder of the [[Glyndebourne|Glyndebourne Opera House]] and the [[Glyndebourne Festival Opera]] at his home at [[Glyndebourne]], near [[Lewes]] in [[Sussex]] in 1934.

Born to a wealthy landed family in [[Eggesford]], [[Devon]], Christie was educated at [[Eton College]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], later spending seven years at Eton as a master. His grandfather was [[William Christie (Conservative politician)|William Langham Christie]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Spike Hughes|title=Glyndebourne: A History of the Festival Opera Founded in 1934 by Audrey and John Christie|url=https://archive.org/details/glyndebournehist0000hugh|url-access=registration|year=1981|publisher=David & Charles|isbn=978-0-7153-7891-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/glyndebournehist0000hugh/page/20 20]}}</ref> He served in the [[trenches]] in the [[First World War]] with the [[King's Royal Rifle Corps]], despite partial blindness,<ref>{{cite book|author=Wilfrid Blunt|title=John Christie of Glyndebourne|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bh0IAAAAMAAJ|year=1968|publisher=Theatre Arts Books|page=70}}</ref> was awarded the [[Military Cross]], and reached the rank of [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]]. Having been given the [[Glyndebourne]] Estate for his own use he began to develop local enterprises there from 1920 onwards: in 1923, he acquired the famous organbuilding company of [[William Hill & Son & Norman & Beard Ltd.]], which had come into being around 1916 with the progressive merging of its two constituent firms. The firm remained in Christie ownership until its demise in the 1990s.

In 1931 he married the Canadian [[soprano]] [[Audrey Mildmay]], and together they planned to build an opera theatre as an annex to the main house. This was completed in 1934<ref>{{cite book|author1=Leslie Chew|author2=Dwight DeReiter|author3=Cathy Doheny|author4=Colin Gilbert|author5=Greenwood|author6=Travers Huff|author7=Susanna Loewy|author8=Melissa Maples|author9=Jeff McQuilkin|title=The Daily Book of Classical Music: 365 readings that teach, inspire & entertain|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1NYj1iWBDkAC&pg=PA149|date=1 September 2010|publisher=Walter Foster Publishing|isbn=978-1-61058-606-1|pages=149}}</ref> and the first season, which featured [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s ''[[The Marriage of Figaro]]'' and ''[[Così fan tutte]]'', conducted by [[Fritz Busch]], was an immediate success.

In succeeding years Christie continued to finance the Glyndebourne Festival Opera himself<ref>{{cite book|author=Alfie Boe|title=Alfie: My Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZUNd3TcZWxEC&pg=PP88|date=30 August 2012|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-84983-977-8|pages=88}}</ref> but after [[World War II]], during which the opera season was suspended, the costs became harder to bear. Eventually however he succeeded in getting commercial sponsorship, placing the Festival on a sound footing and enabling him to aspire to the highest artistic standards.<ref name="Lee2015"/>

In 1954 John Christie was made a [[Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour]] for his achievement at Glyndebourne.

He died at Glyndebourne in 1962. After Christie's death, the festival was taken over by his son, [[George Christie (opera manager)|Sir George Christie]], and subsequently by his grandson Gus Christie.<ref name="Lee2015">{{cite book|author=Celia Lee|title=HRH The Duke of Kent: A Life of Service|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BBkvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT182|date=19 October 2015|publisher=eBook Versions|isbn=978-1-84396-351-6|pages=182}}</ref> Like his father, Sir George was also made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for his work at Glyndebourne. John's founding of Glyndebourne is the subject of the 2015 biographical play ''[[The Moderate Soprano]]'' by David Hare.

==References==
{{reflist}}
* [[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]
* Gervase „Spike“ Hughes, ''Glyndebourne. A History of the Festival Opera founded in 1934 by Audrey and John Christie'', London: Methuen, 1965
* Wilfrid Blunt, ''John Christie of Glyndebourne'', London: Geoffrey Bles, 1969
* ''Glyndebourne – A Celebration'', ed. John Higgins, London: Jonathan Cape, 1984
* John Julius Norwich, ''Fifty Years of Glyndebourne. An Illustrated History'', London: Jonathan Cape, 1985
* Paul Campion; Rosy Runciman, ''Glyndebourne Recorded. Sixty Years of Recordings 1934–1994'', London etc.: Julia MacRae, 1994

==External links==
*[http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp05155 National Portrait Gallery - photographs of the Christie family]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Christie, John}}
[[Category:British opera managers]]
[[Category:Glyndebourne Festival Opera]]
[[Category:British arts administrators]]
[[Category:English theatre managers and producers]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour]]
[[Category:People educated at Eton College]]
[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:King's Royal Rifle Corps officers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross]]
[[Category:Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:People from Mid Devon District]]
[[Category:1882 births]]
[[Category:1962 deaths]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:English landowners]]
[[Category:Benjamin Britten]]
[[Category:20th-century English businesspeople]]

John Christie (opera manager) - Revision history

imported>Jevansen: Moving from Category:Opera managers to Category:British opera managers using Cat-a-lot