Longborough Festival Opera is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Anthony Negus as its Music Director in 2025 by announcing the launch of the Longborough Wagner Club.

Negus will be the Club’s Founder President, and its distinguished ambassadors include Stephen Fry, Sir John Tomlinson, Susan Bullock CBE and Alan Rusbridger.

In a statement, Negus said, “I am thrilled with the launch of the Longborough Wagner Club, in recognition of the festival’s longstanding commitment to the interpretation of the composer’s rich oeuvre and in celebration of 25 years of my time as Music Director.”

For 25 years, Negus has been central to Longborough’s success, shaping its musical vision and establishing the festival’s distinguished reputation within the Wagnerian tradition, often celebrated as the “English Bayreuth.” The club will launch at Longborough Wagner Club, a philanthropic circle to support Longborough’s ambitious and long-standing tradition of presenting the works of and inspired by Richard Wagner.

The Club will also help cement Longborough’s reputation as the birthplace and training ground for future generations of British Wagnerians, and secure an ongoing place for Wagner’s work within the festival programme.

In 2026, Negus will celebrate his 80th birthday with Longborough by conducting a revival of Longborough’s acclaimed 2015 production of “Tristan und Isolde,” directed by Carmen Jakobi and in 2027, he will conduct Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.”