A collection of Royal Opera House programmes dating from 1988-2009 was collected by Flavia Ormond and donated to Special Collections in 2016 via the School of Fine and Performing Arts (now the Lincoln School of Creative Arts). The details have been added to the catalogue and items can be viewed in the Zibby Garnett Library.
The collection contains almost 90 illustrated programmes of both ballet (The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Les Patineurs Tales of Beatric Potter) and opera (Cosi Fan Tutte, La Traviata, Madame Butterfly) performances and the detailed programmes feature a synopsis, performance history plus articles on the composers, choreographers, biographies of the current performers and names of previous artists in the leading roles.
The site of the current Royal Opera House at Covent Garden was the previous home of three theatres dating from 1732 but the present theatre was completed in 1858. In 1946 both the precursors to The Royal Opera (Covent Garden Opera Company) and The Royal Ballet (Vic-Wells Ballet) were located in this building in Covent Garden. The latter was thanks to Dame Ninette de Valois, dancer and choreographer and the first production at Covent Garden was ‘The Sleeping Beauty’.
The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House are all based at the Royal Opera House.
Image: Cruikshank, G. (1836) A comic alphabet designed, etched & published by George Cruikshank. London: George Cruikshank. (Ref: B/3/45)
You can access this collection by searching on the Special Collections catalogue. Please contact the Special Collections Librarian for more information and to discuss your research requirements.
Royal Opera House (2004) The Royal Ballet Covent Garden presents Cinderella. (Ref: OPERA/11)
Royal Opera House Covent Garden 50th anniversary season of the Royal Ballet Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet Job, The Nutcracker, Les Rendezvous, The Rake's Progress, Les Patineurs, Nocturne, Checkmate, La Fete Etrange, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, La Boutique Fantasque, Ballet Imperial, Pineapple Poll, Danses Concertantes, The Prince of the Pagodas, The Firebird, The Invitation, Ondine, Song of the Earth, The Two Pigeons, La Fille Mal Gardee, Daphnis and Chloe, La Bayadere, Voices of Spring, Romeo and Juliet, Manon, Monotones II, Mayerling, Shadowplay, Meadow of Proverbs, Counterpoint, Song, Paquita, The Dream, Isadora, The Concert, Gloria, Les Noces (1981) (Ref: OPERA/89)
Royal Opera House (1988) The Royal Opera House presents The Royal Ballet Serenade, Bugaku, 'Still Life' at the Penguin Cafe, Symphonic variations, The Concert or The Perils of Everybody. (Ref: OPERA/75)
