The John Christie Award 2019 Winner – Vuvu Mpofu

The winner of the John Christie Award for 2019 is South African soprano Vuvu Mpofu.

The announcement was made from the stage at the Glyndebourne Opera House during Glyndebourne Chairman Gus Christie’s traditional last night speech.

The John Christie Award is described as Glyndebourne’s most prestigious award and has been supported by the Musicians’ Company since its inception over fifty years ago. Vuvu Mpofu joins a distinguished list of past winners including Ryland Davies, Richard Van Allan, Linda Esther Gray, Sir John Tomlinson, Gerald Finley, Alfie Boe, Kate Royal, Matthew Rose, Allan Clayton, Duncan Rock and Louise Alder.

Vuvu is a prizewinner at the Operalia Competition and the Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition. In the current Glyndebourne season, Vuvu sang First Nymph Rusalka and will sing Gilda in a new production of Rigoletto on the 2019 Glyndebourne Tour. Future plans include her debut for Oper Köln as Corinna Il viaggio a Reims conducted by Riccardo Frizza; Astarte Der Schmied von Gent (Schreker) in a new production for the Vlaamse Oper; a return to the Bayerische Staatsoper as a Blumenmädchen Parsifal and, on the concert platform,  her debut with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester at the Philharmonie, Berlin with Robin Ticciati. Recent engagements include her debuts for the Bergen National Opera as Cunegonde Candide and for Opera North as Pamina in a new production of Die Zauberflöte.  Vuvu studied at the University of Cape Town, the Cape Town Opera Studio, and appeared with Cape Town Opera as Gilda Rigoletto; Violetta La Traviata; Rosina Il barbiere di Siviglia; Micaela Carmen and Pamina Die Zauberflöte.