General Director, Sebastian F. Schwarz has stepped down from Glyndebourne.

The company announced the decision on Dec. 4. The news comes two years after Schwarz’s appointment succeeding David Pickard, who left the festival after a decade to be director of the Proms.

Schwarz said in a statement “To be Glyndebourne’s general director for the last two years has been my honor and privilege. In my first encounter with a privately funded company, I have come to appreciate Glyndebourne’s unique and complex business model on which its success and survival are dependent and for which the general director is responsible, alongside providing the artistic strategy. While planning the seasons up to 2021, I have realized that I feel most at home in a position which allows me to concentrate more fully on creating and executing the artistic vision of an organization.”

During his time with the company, Schwarz oversaw the 2016 and 2017 Glyndebourne seasons, which included the world premiere of Brett Dean’s “Hamlet” and a new production of Francesco Cavalli’s 1658 opera “Hipermestra,” which marked the first UK production for the opera. He also announced the new international singing competition, the Glyndebourne Opera Cup, which he will continue to oversee and has programmed the Glyndebourne festival and tour seasons up to 2021.