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About this talk

Join us to hear William Kentridge Hon RA discuss the dynamic interplay between visual art and opera in his extraordinary creative practice. This special event marks the world premiere of Kentridge's new production of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo. In his Glyndebourne Festival debut, the celebrated South African artist brings to L'Orfeo the richly layered visual language that has defined his career: an intricate mixture of live and filmed elements, hand-drawn animations, collages, shadow play and performance. In this conversation, Kentridge will reflect on how he has brought Monteverdi's great opera to life, translating the timeless myth of Orpheus for contemporary audiences with a theatrical coalescence of the visual and the musical. William Kentridge is internationally acclaimed for his drawings, films, theatre and opera productions. His method combines drawing, writing, film, performance, music, theatre and collaborative practices to create works of art that are grounded in politics, science, literature and history. Kentridge's work has been seen in museums and galleries around the world since the 1990s, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Musée du Louvre in Paris and the Royal Academy of Arts in London. He has participated several times in Documenta in Kassel (2012, 2002,1997) and the Venice Biennale (2015, 2013, 2005, 1999 and 1993). His opera productions have been seen at opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, La Scala in Milan, English National Opera in London and the Sydney Opera House. In 2023 he received the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for Sibyl in London. He was appointed an Honorary Royal Academician in 2015. Jan Dalley is a writer on arts and culture. She is currently a Contributing Editor at the Financial Times, focusing on interviews and features with an international reach. She has a special interest in public sector museums and galleries, the social and political impact of the arts and the intersection of the arts and the wider social world. From 2005 to 2025 she was the FT's Arts Editor, and before that its Literary Editor. She also works in broadcasting and podcasts, in the field of culture. She is a judge of the Prix Pictet award for photography and sustainability, a director of Sid Motion gallery, and a Trustee of the Arts Foundation. This event is presented in partnership with Glyndebourne.

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