International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival was founded in 1994 by Ian Smith and his son Neil and is held every summer in England.
Among the professional offerings are performances each year by the Festival's homegrown National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company.
A smaller nearby theatre and other venues host the Festival fringe, which consists of dozens of performances, including a Unifest competition among university groups, and lectures, a memorabilia fair, and other events.
The Festival was founded in 1994 by English businessman Ian Smith (1939–2019)[1] and continues to be produced by his wife Janet, son Neil and their family to preserve and enhance the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan.
[16] The Festival was awarded a grant of £120,000 from the government Culture Recovery Fund that helped it to survive the shutdown[17] and, in 2021, resume annually.
Celebrating the timeless, waspishly satirical lyrics of W. S. Gilbert and the brilliant musical inventiveness of Arthur Sullivan, the festival is quite simply the world’s biggest event dedicated to the Savoy operas.
[34] A "Unifest" competition among university groups is presented each year as part of the Festival fringe, usually in the afternoon matinee slot.
[43] The Daily Telegraph "thoroughly enjoyed [the company's] spirited production" of Utopia, Limited in 2011, an opera that has rarely been given a professional staging in Britain over the past century.
[46][47] The company soon began touring its productions in repertory from June to August each summer,[48] giving performances in up to six towns and cities,[49] including Buxton.
[13] A review of the opening night of the 2014 tour praised the direction, choreography and conducting of The Pirates of Penzance and said of the company: They are a real find with strong production values, a great orchestra and first class singing.
[9][28] A review of a 2010 performance noted, "The music was up to [the Festival's] usual high standard, with the orchestra (leader, Sally Robinson) ... giving a superb and sprightly reading of the Overture and score throughout.
"[42] A 2024 review thought the orchestra "plays with real finesse and lyricism, with Murray Hipkin’s direction bringing out many an eloquent detail of Sullivan’s scoring".
[9][37] The "fringe" activities have included performances, master classes and lectures by members of the original D'Oyly Carte Opera Company (such as Valerie Masterson, Thomas Round, Gillian Knight, Kenneth Sandford, John Ayldon and John Reed) and other professionals, and a late night Festival Club, where cabaret performances are given each evening after the opera, and sometimes a G&S singalong is conducted.
[57] There is also a G&S memorabilia fair, providing a chance for collectors and gift hunters to buy and sell G&S recordings, DVDs, books, scores, figurines and other items of interest.
Performances in the traditional style mix with avant garde ones, and G&S scholars can communicate with a wide audience of enthusiasts.
[60] Buxton, an intimate, yet bustling spa town located in the Peak District about an hour southeast of Manchester, has proved to be an excellent setting for summer opera festivals, with good choices for lodging, dining and local sightseeing.
"[63][62] In addition, the Festival aims to raise awareness and funds for its organizers' efforts to re-introduce G&S into British schools.
[35][36] The Festival has been featured in several British television shows and in the documentary films Oh Mad Delight[64] and A Source of Innocent Merriment.
