Celebrate Our Staff - April 2025: Lizzy hits the high notes

Lizzy Hardman Warburton – Marketing and Events Lead for the University’s International Concert Series – is stepping out from behind the scenes to take centre stage at the iconic Glyndebourne Festival.

Having secured a professional contract to perform in a production of ‘Parsifal’, Wagner’s final opera, Lizzy will juggle this exciting opportunity with her role at Leeds and her PhD studies in Music at the Open University – all fresh from celebrating her recent wedding!

Reflecting on the opportunity, Lizzy said: “Glyndebourne is a truly surreal place – I’d never actually been before because I couldn’t afford it – and the grounds are absolutely breathtaking. It’s also the first time ‘Parsifal’ has been performed at Glyndebourne, so it feels quite historic to be part of it.

“As one of the few seasonal companies in the UK to hire singers on Equity contracts, it’s been wonderful to really immerse myself in the creative side of performance without worrying about chaotic hours or being underpaid.”

Balancing her commitments has taken careful planning, but Lizzy credits the support of her colleagues for making it possible. She said: “I’m hugely fortunate to have the most helpful and supportive line manager a person could wish for [Jess Ward], along with the support of her line manager, Dan Merrick.

“It’s actually been helpful to have more space to focus on the marketing strategy and design side of things, while event management is being brilliantly covered by Jess. Switching priorities to do as much as I can for the Concert Series while working remotely has been key.”

Learn more about the production of Parsifal, and Glyndebourne here.