Brindley Sherratt Named Artistic Director Amid Grange Festival Leadership Changes

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Plus, four new trustees have been appointed, and Tyler Stoops has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer.

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The Grange Festival has announced changes to its leadership team, including the appointments of Brindley Sherratt as Artistic Director and four new trustees to the board of directors, as well as the departure of Chief Executive Officer Tyler Stoops.

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The Grange Festival has announced the appointment of Brindley Sherratt as its new Artistic Director, taking up the position this month. He succeeds Michael Chance , who led the company since its formation in 2016 and retired at the end of the 2026 Festival.

British bass Brindley Sherratt is one of the world's most respected singers and theatre practitioners, described by the Financial Times and The Observer as “world-class”. Revered for his extraordinary vocal ability and stage presence in roles across the operatic canon, from Mozart's Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte to Britten's Claggart in Billy Budd, to Strauss' Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier to Wagner's Gurnemanz in Parsifal.

Sherratt brings a wealth of experience as an actor, singer and opera practitioner to his new role at The Grange Festival and will continue to perform internationally alongside his position as Artistic Director, while naturally being more selective with his engagements to ensure that he can fulfil each of his commitments. On 1 October, he takes on the role of Gurnemanz with Royal Ballet & Opera in a new production of Parsifal directed by Evgeny Titov.

Brindley Sherratt , Artistic Director of The Grange Festival, says: “I am enormously thankful to the team at The Grange Festival for welcoming me with open arms as I take on the role of Artistic Director. As someone who has experienced the Festival as both an audience member and performer, I am deeply honoured to be given the opportunity to be a part of the next chapter in its history.

It is an exciting prospect to be investing in British opera at such a crucial moment in this art form's history. The Grange Festival provides a much-needed platform for the next generation of artists. I've benefitted from the support of the local community in so many ways – being a resident of neighbouring county West Surrey - I have seen first-hand the impact that the local audiences can make. In my most recent performance on The Grange's stage, I held a fundraising gala with a roster of our greatest opera stars in aid of The Meath Epilepsy Charity, where my daughter, Amy, is a resident. Together with The Grange's generous community, we raised over £180,000 for our cause.

As a performer, I feel extremely lucky to have taken on roles I could have only dreamed of. Up until now, this role too was a dream, and I am looking forward hugely to working with the creative and administrative teams, as well as all the incredible line-up of artists who appear each year at this wonderful festival.”

The Artistic Director appointment was unanimously approved by the Board and Sherratt will begin his new role this month, marking the start of an exciting new era for The Grange Festival, as it looks towards its tenth anniversary Festival in 2027.

The Grange Festival is an arts charity which presents a dynamic programme of opera, dance and concerts each summer. Held in one of the most celebrated neo-classical mansions in Britain, surrounded by a stunning countryside landscape, the Festival welcomes audiences from far and wide for awe-inspiring experiences of beauty, connection and artistic excellence.

Full details of the 2027 Festival and its 10th Anniversary celebrations will be announced in the coming weeks.

Board Chair Malcolm Le May and the Board of Trustees have appointed four new Trustees: Karen Napier MBE, Edward Humphrey, Cathy Millis and Andrew Wickham.

An experienced Chief Executive, currently in position at The Reading Agency, Karen Napier MBE is an experienced leader and fundraiser across arts, culture and education, responsible for leading and developing major national funding projects including the £111m campaign to transform the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre .

Also joining the board is Edward Humphrey, the Chief Executive of global arts streamer Marquee TV. Alongside his experience in streaming and subscription services, Edward also serves on the board of The Foundling Museum.

Cathy Millis brings expertise in human resources to the board, with her career spanning multiple FTSE 100 companies. A co-founder of The Millwood Partnership and Fastforward.me, Cathy's work empowers people to develop and achieve their goals.

Now retired, Andrew Wickham was a London-based investment manager specialising in global fixed income. He now dedicates his time to serving his local community in Hampshire.

Full details of The Grange Festival board, including biographies, can be found here .

Following three festivals as Chief Executive Officer, Tyler Stoops has made the decision to step down at the end of October.

Under his leadership, The Grange Festival has achieved critical artistic acclaim and significant audience growth and record membership, a broadening of the artistic programme, and the Festival debuts of world-class artists.

Tyler's innovative cross-genre programmes, Queen at the Opera and The Soul of Opera, as well as major partnership projects (Les Indes Galantes with Cappella Mediterranea, La Clemenza di Tito with Les Talens Lyriques, and La Bohème with Opéra national de Nancy-Lorraine) have helped raise the profile of the Festival locally, nationally and internationally. Following his departure, Stoops will be focusing on his research in the Performance Science programme at the Royal College of Music.

The Festival Chief Financial Officer Sheila Wye has been named Interim Chief Executive. A long-time Northington resident, Sheila has been instrumental in advancing the Festival's financial resilience and is an experienced CEO and commercial leader.

Malcolm Le May, Chair of the Board of Trustees, says: “The Board of Trustees are deeply indebted to Tyler for all his hard work over the past three years and the deep impact he has had on the Festival. The Festival is stronger as a result of his contributions, and we wish him every success with his research and future endeavours. The Board and I are equally delighted to appoint Brindley Sherratt as the Festival's new Artistic Director – an exciting and inspiring figurehead and artistic leader for the next era of the Festival. Together with our interim Chief Executive, Sheila, our refreshed Board of Trustees and our phenomenal team, he will continue the Festival's artistic success and build upon the platform that Tyler and the executive team have created.”

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/The-Grange-Festival-Appoints-Brindley-Sherratt-as-Artistic-Director-20260929)._