Sir George Christie awarded French arts honour

Sir George Christie awarded French arts honour

On 4 October, the French Ambassador presented the insignia of Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres to Sir George Christie at a luncheon held in his honour at the Résidence de France.

Sir George Christie was Chairman of Glyndebourne Productions for over 40 years. Glyndebourne Festival Opera is known the world over for the exceptional quality of its productions and promotion of young opera singers.

Sir George Christie made an outstanding contribution to opening up the world of opera to a wider audience in the United Kingdom through the creation of Glyndebourne Touring Opera, now known as Glyndebourne on Tour (GOT), which organizes national tours. The GOT has launched the international career of many well-known opera singers.

Sir George has also succeeded in opening up new ways of obtaining commercial support for the arts Glyndebourne has mounted many international co-productions, particularly with French opera houses and festivals. The Franco-British co-production of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande at Glyndebourne in 2004 was especially memorable.

The Ordre des Arts et Lettres recognizes outstanding artists or people who have made a special contribution to raising public awareness of the arts in France and the world. In the past few months, the French Ambassador has presented the distinction to, among others, Julian Barnes, John le Carré and William Boyd./.