Genesis Sixteen alumni in Mark-Anthony Turnage’s The Railway Children
14 August 2025
Jessica Cale, Bethany Horak-Hallett & Matthew McKinney
Three alumni from the Genesis Sixteen programme, run in partnership between the Genesis Foundation and The Sixteen, will appear in the world premiere of Glyndebourne’s The Railway Children. The new opera is a collaboration between composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and librettist Rachael Hewer, based on Edith Nesbit’s classic novel.
Jessica Cale and Matthew McKinney, who have both won the Kathleen Ferrier Award, will play two of the leading roles of Bobbie and Peter respectively. Bethany Horak-Hallett will play Yolanda.
Glyndebourne’s Artistic Director Stephen Langridge directs the new production, with Tim Anderson conducting the Glyndebourne Sinfonia, the Glyndebourne Chorus and principal cast.
This new opera reimagines Nesbit’s story by shifting its setting from Edwardian England to the Cold War and expanding the theme of espionage.
The Railway Children premieres on Thursday 30 October, with two further performances on Saturday 01 November. Glyndebourne will also host two performances of The Railway Children for local schools on Tuesday 4 November and Thursday 6 November. The opera will then be presented as a staged concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in the Southbank Centre on Saturday 8 November.
