The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival was founded in 1994 by Ian Smith and his son Neil and is held every summer in England. The two- or three-week Festival of

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

opera performances and fringe events attracts thousands of visitors, including performers, supporters, and G&S enthusiasts from around the world. The Festival was held in

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.

, Derbyshire, from 1994 to 2013, and from 2014 to 2022, it was held in

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

, North Yorkshire, usually with a week in Buxton preceding the main part of the Festival. The entire Festival is set to return to Buxton in 2023. At the Festival, there are both professional and amateur Gilbert and Sullivan performances. Among the professional offerings are performances each year by the Festival's homegrown National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company. Amateur Gilbert and Sullivan performing societies from around the world perform on the Festival's main stage each year. A smaller nearby theatre and other venues host the Festival fringe, which consists of dozens of performances, including a Unifest competition among university groups, and lectures, a memorabilia fair, and other events.

History

The Festival was founded in 1994 by English businessman Ian Smith (1939–2019) and continues to be produced by his wife Janet, son Neil and their family to preserve and enhance the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the works of

. It also has a goal of reinstating G&S and the performing arts in schools in Britain. On several occasions, the Festival added a week of performances in the United States. The founders believe that the Gilbert and Sullivan works are an important national heritage and legacy, especially as performed in the tradition of the venerable

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. Th ...

, which performed

Savoy Opera Savoy opera was a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impr ...

s continuously, year-round, for over a century until 1982. When the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company closed in 1982, greatly diminishing the amount of Gilbert and Sullivan produced in Britain, Ian Smith "had a burning anger" that the English Arts Council had not subsidised the company, and this led him to found the Festival. The Festival was held in

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.

, England, every year from 1994 to 2013, but it experimented with producing additional Festival weeks in other towns or cities, including

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

, England once;

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania, twice;

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

, once;Festival history pages
/ref>Sandham, David

Buxton Festivals website with links to photos and reviews of each Festival, accessed 19 September 2010 and

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; non-locally ) is a borough and the county seat of Adams County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are named for this town. Gettysburg is home to th ...

, twice. The main part of the Festival relocated to

, England, in 2014.Chalmers, Graham
"Harrogate wins topsy-turvy battle over G&S Festival"
''Wetherby News'', 5 June 2014 where it continues to be held each summer.Wilkinson, Sue
"Facts and figures of Harrogate’s G&S Festival"
, ''Harrogate Advertiser'', 26 March 2018 From about 2015 the Festival has also given a week of mostly professional shows in Buxton shortly before its main opening in Harrogate.Beale, Robert
"''The Gondoliers'' at Buxton Opera House review"
''Manchester Evening News'', 7 August 2015; and Bratby, Richard
"The Yeomen of the Guard, National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company"
TheArtsDesk.com, 2 August 2016 The Festival was not held in 2020, when Harrogate was hosting an

NHS Nightingale Hospital The NHS Nightingale Hospital London was the first of the NHS Nightingale Hospitals, temporary hospitals set up by NHS England for the COVID-19 pandemic. It was housed in the ExCeL London convention centre in East London. The hospital was rapid ...

during the

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. and Chalmers, Graham
"Historic Harrogate venue reopens its doors for the first time in 15 months"
''Harrogate Advertiser'', 28 June 2021 During the shutdown, the Festival launched an online streaming service that presents recorded performances from past Festivals and some live content. The Festival was also awarded a grant of £120,000 from the government

Culture Recovery Fund The Culture Recovery Fund is a grants programme issued by the UK Government as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund aims to financially support cultural organisations in England (such as theatres, museums, and music venues) which had bec ...

. The Festival returned in 2021. Until 2022, it continued to run for a week in Buxton and nearly two weeks in Harrogate. In 2023 the entire Festival is set to return to Buxton.Cooper, Louise
"Gilbert and Sullivan Festival returning exclusively to Buxton from next year"
''Buxton Advertiser'', 10 October 2022

Description

Each summer, beginning with the last weekend in July or first weekend in August, the Festival includes two or three weeks of nightly G&S operas (and weekend matinees) and dozens of daytime fringe activities,Smith, Ian
"What's On Guide 2018"
The International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival, accessed 2 July 2018
"Ian Smith obituary"
''The Times'', 27 November 2019; an
" Feast of G and S is heading your way as festival returns"
''Buxton Advertiser'', 23 June 2018 The Festival has sold more than 25,000 tickets in some years"ClassicFest, Royal Hall, Harrogate, August 21 to 27"
''The Press'', 20 July 2012, accessed 30 November 2020 and has attracted up to 2,000 performers.

Sky Arts Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...

described the Festival as "one of the most colourful, melodic and joyous festivals of musical theatre you will come across. Celebrating the timeless, waspishly satirical lyrics of

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most f ...

and the brilliant musical inventiveness of

Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...

, the festival is quite simply the world’s biggest event dedicated to the

Savoy opera Savoy opera was a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impr ...

s. ... It is forward-looking and fun presenting contemporary as well as traditional productions of G&S.""Sky arts at the Gilbert and Sullivan Festival"
''Sky Arts'', British Sky Broadcasting, accessed 13 August 2010 The Festival's professional orchestra accompanies the main stage performances.

The competition

The Festival began as mostly a competition among amateur G&S performing troupes from Britain and around the world, with up to a dozen or so amateur performances. On the weeknights during each Festival, "the best non-professional groups from the UK and overseas compete for the International Champions title." Some groups perform year after year at the Festival, but some companies, especially those travelling from North America, South Africa, Australia and other distant places, may visit only occasionally or once. Others meet and rehearse entirely at the Festival. The day of performance for each amateur group is hectic, with move-in to the theatre at 9 a.m., lighting call at 11 a.m., the one and only tech-dress rehearsal (with the Festival orchestra) in the afternoon, the performance in the evening, and move-out immediately afterwards. A professional adjudicator

critique Critique is a method of disciplined, systematic study of a written or oral discourse. Although critique is commonly understood as fault finding and negative judgment,Rodolphe Gasché (2007''The honor of thinking: critique, theory, philosophy''p ...

d each amateur performance immediately after the curtain fell. The adjudicator then scored each performance, and both group and individual awards were announced at the end of the Festival.Lee, Bernard
"Gilbert and Sullivan are still going strong after a century"
, ''The Telegraph'', 1 August 2008 At the first Festival in 1994, first prize was awarded to the production of ''

Utopia, Limited ''Utopia, Limited; or, The Flowers of Progress'', is a Savoy opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was the second-to-last of Gilbert and Sullivan's fourteen collaborations, premiering on 7 October 1893 for a ...

'', presented by the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, in the US (then known as the G&S Society of Hancock County). The

Derby Gilbert & Sullivan Company Derby Gilbert & Sullivan Company, based in Derby, England, produced the works of Gilbert and Sullivan from 1966 to 2018. The company won the amateur competition at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival an unprecedented six timesSandham ...

won the first prize more often than any other company (six times); and the South Anglia Savoy Players won five times and placed second four times. Festival Productions, Ireland, won in three consecutive years, 2007 to 2009. Individual awards were also presented for performers, directors and musical directors. The internet group SavoyNet, which has competed each year since 1997, were Festival Champions in 2013 and 2018 and are the first and only company to present all 14 G&S operas at the Festival. By the end of the second decade of the Festival, the number of amateur productions decreased, and after 2019, the competitive aspect of the Festival has been discontinued. The Festival organizers have also rehearsed and presented, some years, an adult "Festival production" or a "Youth Production" (for performers aged 9 to 19). Beginning in 2015, they have presented a "Bus Pass Opera" production (for performers over 60).Hardwick, Viv
"Gilbert & Sullivan heading to Harrogate and Newcastle"
''The Northern Echo'', 1 June 2017 A "Unifest" competition among university groups is presented simultaneously, as part of the Festival fringe.Elkin, Susan

. ''The Stage'', 2 August 2010"G&S Festival grows and expands across Atlantic"
''The Sheffield Telegraph'', 22 July 2010

Professional productions

As the Festival matured, it presented more and more professional performances, first on weekends and now throughout the programme. These are given by companies such as the

Carl Rosa Opera Company The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl Rosa, a German-born musical impresario, and his wife, British operatic soprano Euphrosyne Parepa-Rosa to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company premiere ...

Opera della Luna Opera della Luna (OdL), founded in 1994, is a British touring theatre troupe of actor-singers focusing on comic works. Led by artistic director Jeff Clarke, it takes its name from Haydn's operatic setting of Goldoni's farce '' Il mondo della lun ...

, the

New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players (often known as NYGASP) is a professional repertory theatre company, based in New York City that has specialized in the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan for over 40 years. It performs an annual season in N ...

,"NY Gilbert & Sullivan Players to Sail Across the Pond for Harrogate's 2014 International G&S Festival, Aug 5-10"
BroadwayWorld.com, 25 June 2014 Charles Court Opera, and the Festival's self-produced National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, which has starred such well-known G&S performers as

Richard Suart Richard Suart (born 5 September 1951) is an English opera singer and actor, who has specialised in the comic roles of Gilbert and Sullivan operas and in operetta, as well as in ''avant-garde'' modern operas. He is probably best known for his num ...

, Simon Butteriss, Bruce Graham,

Gillian Knight Gillian Knight (born 1 November 1934) is an English opera singer and actress, known for her performances in the contralto roles of the Savoy operas. After six years from 1959 to 1965 starring in these roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ...

, Barry Clark,

Michael Rayner Michael Rayner (6 December 1932 – 13 July 2015)Mackie, David. "Obituaries: Michael Rayner", ''Gilbert and Sullivan News'', Vol. V, No. 9, Autumn/Winter 2015, pp. 17–18, The Gilbert and Sullivan Society was an English opera singer, best kno ...

, Patricia Leonard, Donald Maxwell, Jill Pert, Gareth Jones, Oliver White, Rebecca Bottone, Ian Belsey and the Opera Babes. John Owen Edwards,

David Russell Hulme David Russell Hulme (born 19 June 1951) is a Welsh conductor and musicologist. He is an Emeritus Reader and the former Director of Music at Aberystwyth University and is known for his research and publications on the music of Arthur Sullivan, t ...

, David Steadman, Andrew Nicklin and John Andrews have served as musical director of the company. Sky Arts calls these performers "some of the UK’s finest exponents of musical theatre". Raymond J. Walker wrote of the National G&S Opera Company: :"With a reputation for strong casts ndenergetic delivery, traditionally fresh interpretations are brought to roles familiar to a large proportion of the estivalaudiences. With good stars like Jill Pert and Richard Suart in key roles, we were assured of an excellent evening’s entertainment. ... Care is always taken with the staging and lighting of these ... productions and, as with ''

Princess Ida ''Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant'' is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. ''Princess Ida'' opened at the Savoy Theatre on 5 January 1884, for a ru ...

'' last year, they can match a West End show. ... Throughout, the chorus was outstanding. ... the strength of singing from the twenty-strong chorus in forte passages was spectacular".Walker, Raymond J
"Buxton International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival 2010 – Iolanthe"
Seen and Heard International, MusicWeb International, accessed 6 August 2010 Uniquely among professional companies in Britain, other than D'Oyly Carte, the National G&S Opera Company has presented all 13 of the extant Savoy Operas. ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' "thoroughly enjoyed

he company's He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

spirited production" of ''

'' in 2011, an opera that has rarely been given a professional staging in Britain over the past century. In 2012 the Festival mounted the first full-scale professional production with orchestra of ''

The Grand Duke ''The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel'', is the final Savoy Opera written by librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, their fourteenth and last opera together. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 March 1896, and ran for 12 ...

'' in Britain since the 19th century. In 2010, the National G&S Opera Company presented its first production outside of the Festival, ''

The Yeomen of the Guard ''The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid'', is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888 and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh ...

'', at

Oxford Castle Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined medieval castle on the western side of central Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. Most of the original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced in stone in the late 12th or early 13th century and ...

. The company soon began touring its productions in repertory from June to August each summer, giving performances in up to six towns and cities, including Buxton. A review of the opening night of the 2014 tour praised the direction, choreography and conducting of ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 ...

'' and said of the company:

They are a real find with strong production values, a great orchestra and first class singing. Musically, this is a very strong show. It all looks marvellous with picture book settings and eye catching costumes plus a full and energetic cast. ... It all works superbly with a company obviously enjoying themselves. The chorus work is top notch, and they all come across as individuals.

The National G&S Opera Company has generally staged four productions at the Festival each summer since 2015, giving up to 16 performances there, while the other professional companies usually give a few performances each. In 2018, in connection with the 25th anniversary of the Festival, the company presented six productions, including the first professional production of ''

Haddon Hall Haddon Hall is an English country house on the River Wye near Bakewell, Derbyshire, a former seat of the Dukes of Rutland. It is the home of Lord Edward Manners (brother of the incumbent Duke) and his family. In form a medieval manor house, it ...

'' since the 19th century.

Venues and fringe events

All of the competition and the weekend professional performances have been given on the Festival's main stage. From 1994 to 2013, that was the

Frank Matcham Francis Matcham (22 November 1854 – 17 May 1920)Mackintosh, Iain"Matcham, Frank" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 7 July 2019 was an English architect who specialised in the design o ...

-designed 900-seat

Buxton Opera House Buxton Opera House is in The Square, Buxton, Derbyshire, England. It is a 902-seat opera house that hosts the annual Buxton Festival and the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, among others, as well as pantomime at Christmas, musical th ...

. From 2014 to 2022, the main stage was the 1,100-seat Royal Hall in Harrogate, another Matcham-designed theatre. These performances are nearly always accompanied by the "National Festival Orchestra". In 2023 the Festival is set to return to Buxton.Cooper, Louise
"Gilbert and Sullivan Festival returning exclusively to Buxton from next year"
''Buxton Advertiser'', 10 October 2022 A review of a 2010 performance noted, "The music was up to he Festival'susual high standard, with the orchestra (leader, Sally Robinson) ... giving a superb and sprightly reading of the Overture and score throughout." The Festival also hosts dozens of performances and fringe activities in smaller venues. In Buxton, these include the 360-seat Pavilion Arts Centre.Woolman, Natalie
"Buxton Opera House to open new Pavilion arts venue"
''The Stage'', 7 September 2010June 2007 Festival Newsletter, p. 5
/ref> In Harrogate, some fringe performances were held in the 500-seat Harrogate Theatre and others at various venues in and around the town, including at the Festival's purpose-built theatre next door to the Royal Hall.Smith, Ian
"A Summer Bursting at the Seams with Glorious Gilbert & Sullivan"
''Digital Journal'', 19 June 2014 The "fringe" activities have included performances, master classes and lectures by members of the original

(such as

Valerie Masterson Margaret Valerie Masterson (born 3 June 1937), is a retired English opera singer, a lecturer and Vice-President of British Youth Opera. After study in Italy, she began to sing opera in Europe. Returning to England, Masterson performed as princ ...

, Thomas Round,

Kenneth Sandford Kenneth Sandford (28 June 1924 – 19 September 2004) was an English singer and actor, best known for his performances in baritone roles of the Savoy Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. After service the Royal Air Force during World War II, San ...

John Ayldon John Ayldon (11 December 1943 – 16 February 2013) was an English opera singer and comic actor, best known for his performances in bass-baritone roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Though born in England, Ayldon spen ...

and John Reed) and other professionals, and a late night Festival Club, where cabaret performances are given each evening after the opera, and sometimes a G&S singalong is conducted. Some years have included scholarly symposia, and rarely revived works by Gilbert or separately by Sullivan are also seen. There is also a G&S memorabilia fair, providing a chance for collectors and gift hunters to buy and sell G&S recordings, DVDs, books, scores, figurines and other items of interest. Fringe events also include recitals, concerts, lectures and productions of lesser-known works by Gilbert without Sullivan, Sullivan without Gilbert, works that played as companion pieces with the Gilbert and Sullivan operas during their original productions and other Victorian and Edwardian works.

Effect and allure of the Festival

The Festival serves as a "lightning-rod" of G&S activity worldwide. G&S performers and audiences from one part of the world can see performances by groups from other parts of the world. Performances in the traditional style mix with ''avant garde'' ones, and G&S scholars can communicate with a wide audience of enthusiasts. Buxton, an intimate, yet bustling spa town located in the

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...

about an hour southeast of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, has proved to be an excellent setting for summer opera festivals, with good choices for lodging, dining and local sightseeing. There are nearby castles (for example,

Peveril Castle Peveril Castle (also Castleton Castle or Peak Castle) is a ruined 11th-century castle overlooking the village of Castleton in the English county of Derbyshire. It was the main settlement (or ''caput'') of the feudal barony of William Peverel, kn ...

), stately homes (e.g.

Chatsworth House Chatsworth House is a stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, north-east of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Chesterfield, England. The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, it has belonged to the House of Cavendish, Cavendish family sin ...

Hardwick Hall Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire is an architecturally significant country house from the Elizabethan era, a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. Built between 1590 and 1597 for Bess of Hardwick, it was designed by the architect Ro ...

and

Calke Abbey Calke Abbey is a Grade I listed country house near Ticknall, Derbyshire, England, in the care of the charitable National Trust. The site was an Augustinian priory from the 12th century until its dissolution by Henry VIII. The present building, n ...

); and numerous limestone caverns, including

Poole's Cavern Poole's Cavern or Poole's Hole is a two-million-year-old natural limestone cave on the edge of Buxton in the Peak District, in the county of Derbyshire, England. Poole's Cavern forms part of the Wye system, and has been designated a Site of Spe ...

, right at the edge of Buxton. The small size of the town allows visitors and performers to meet and mingle freely during the course of the Festival. Jean Dufty, in ''Gilbert & Sullivan News'' wrote: "The amateur performances were of a very high standard.... There is a lovely atmosphere in Buxton of Gilbert and Sullivan thriving, being enjoyed, and drawing everyone together as a family." The Festival has developed "a reputation for being one of the friendliest musical festivals anywhere, with people returning year after year to soak up its special atmosphere."Walker, Raymond J
"Buxton International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival 2010"
MusicWeb International, accessed 6 August 2010 A feature in ''Gilbert & Sullivan News'' commented: "The amateur performances were of a very high standard. ... There is a lovely atmosphere ... of Gilbert and Sullivan thriving, being enjoyed, and drawing everyone together as a family." In addition, the Festival aims to raise awareness and funds for its organizers' efforts to re-introduce G&S into British schools. The Festival has been featured in several British television shows and in the documentary films ''Oh Mad Delight'' and ''A Source of Innocent Merriment''. Sky Arts broadcast its features about the Festival and Gilbert and Sullivan several times in 2010.

Recordings

Recordings on DVD of most of the amateur and professional productions that have been seen at the Festival, as well as for some of the fringe events, are produced by the Festival organizers. Some of the Festival's professional shows are also available on CD.Recordings available from the Festival on CD
, International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, accessed 26 June 2014

Companies that have performed at the Festival

;Professional *

, London
Charles Court Opera
London
Forbear! Theatre
London and touring
Heritage Opera
touring * National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Harrogate and touring *

The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players (often known as NYGASP) is a professional repertory theatre company, based in New York City that has specialized in the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan for over 40 years. It performs an annual season in ...

, New York City and touring *

, touring ;Most successful amateur UK award winners *

(six championships; company closed in 2018)
South Anglia Savoy Players
(five championships)
Festival Productions
(Ireland) (three championships) ;Foreign amateur competitors *

Blue Hill Troupe The Blue Hill Troupe, Ltd. (often referred to as the Troupe or BHT), is a musical theatre performing company and charitable organization based in New York City. The Troupe is the only musical theatre company in the city that donates all the net pr ...

(New York City, US)
The Brussels Light Opera Company
(Brussels, Belgium)
Cape Town G&S
(Cape Town, South Africa)
Fraser Valley Stage
(Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)
The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Chester County
(Pennsylvania, US)
The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston
(Texas, US)
The Gilbert & Sullivan Society
of

The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Victoria
(Melbourne, Australia)
Lamplighters Music Theatre of San Francisco
* Savoy Company (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US)
SavoyNet
(email-based, with performers from around the world)

(Toronto, Canada)
Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society
(Washington, US)

Notes

References

* *

External links

International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival official website

Fan site with extensive Festival information, reviews and photos
*Davis, Carol and Victoria Willoughby
2004 description of the Festival
*Garnett, Stephen. "Buxton Festival 2008 – A Summer Celebration of Gilbert & Sullivan"

2008 *Lee, Bernard.
"Gilbert and Sullivan are still going strong after a century"
''Sheffield Telegraph'', 2008 *Christiansen, Rupert

''The Telegraph'', 2009
Excerpt of SkyArts video about the Festival
2010 {{Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan Music festivals in Derbyshire Tourist attractions of the Peak District Opera festivals Music festivals established in 1994 Buxton Events in Harrogate Music festivals in North Yorkshire