Sir George William Langham Christie (31 December 1934 – 7 May 2014) was a British opera administrator, long affiliated with

Glyndebourne Opera Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England. History Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, e ...

. He was the son of John Christie and

Audrey Mildmay Grace Audrey Laura St John-Mildmay (19 December 1900 – 31 May 1953) was an English and Canadian soprano and co-founder, with her husband, John Christie, of Glyndebourne Festival Opera. The ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' describes her voice "as a li ...

. Christie attended Eton, and later Trinity College

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, although he left without taking a degree. He then worked at the

Gulbenkian Foundation The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation ( pt, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian), commonly referred to simply as the Gulbenkian Foundation, is a Portuguese institution dedicated to the promotion of the arts, philanthropy, science, and education. One of ...

for five years, before returning to Glyndebourne. In 1962, following the death of his father, he took over the organisation. During his tenure at Glyndebourne, Christie broadened the company's finances through increased corporate sponsorship. The company's repertoire also expanded, including commissions of new operas. He also oversaw the demolition of the old theatre and construction of the new theatre, over the period 1992–1994. In addition, the company began its Glyndebourne Touring Opera (now Glyndebourne on Tour) in 1968, its first outreach ensemble. Christie retired from the company on 31 December 1999, and handed over control of the company to his son Gus Christie. Christie was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the 1984 Queen's Birthday Honours List and appointed a

Companion of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. Founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire, it is sometimes ...

in 2001. In 2013, he won a special Lifetime Achievement Award at the Opera Awards in London. Christie married Mary Nicholson in 1958. The couple had four children, Hector, Gus, Ptolemy and Louise. His widow and children all survived him. Hector Christie is the owner of

Tapeley Park Tapeley is a historic estate in the parish of Westleigh in North Devon, England. The present mansion house known as Tapeley Park is a grade II* listed country house, built or enlarged from an existing structure in about 1704, remodeled i ...

. Louise Flind joined the Glyndebourne board and Ptolemy Christie is a stage director. Lady Christie (the former Mary Nicholson) died of cancer of 2020 at the age of 83.Lady Christie obituary
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Christie, George 1934 births Opera managers Glyndebourne Festival Opera British arts administrators Deputy Lieutenants of East Sussex Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour Knights Bachelor 2014 deaths