The Glyndebourne Festival has officially canceled its 2020 summer season.

In a press release Gus Christie, the Executive Chairman, noted, “This is a particularly sad day in Glyndebourne’s history as I share with you the news that we cannot stage a Festival this year. COVID-19’s persistence means that we have taken the painful decision to cancel all remaining Festival 2020 performances. This follows our earlier cancellation of Festival performances up to 14 July, as announced on 18 March. Following Government advice, the Glyndebourne site remains closed.”

Christie added, “I know that this cancellation will be as heartbreaking for you as it is for me. We maintained our optimism for as long as possible. Glyndebourne is a relatively small charity but with big ambitions, driven by the belief that opera can transform lives. The Festival receives no public subsidy and our financial independence means that we are reliant on ticket sales to be able to operate. With this source of income now gone, it’s not just our future that’s at risk – the immediate livelihood of over 400 seasonal staff and artists has vanished. We have started a COVID-19 Emergency Appeal to help us to help them, and to secure Glyndebourne’s long-term future for all.”

Glyndebourne had originally cut the first half of the festival and was scheduled to open on July 14. The festival was also set to submit a new program in the coming weeks.

This is the latest summer season to cancel as the Edinburgh Festival, Bayreuth Festival, and the Garsington Opera canceled earlier last month.

The United Kingdom currently has 190,584 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 28,734 confirmed deaths.