For many, the idea of living in a English country house steeped in centuries of history is the stuff of fairytales – a fantasy confined to the pages of a storybook or perhaps a Hallmark movie. But for Australian soprano Danielle de Niese, it's a reality.
The opera star calls renowned English estate and opera house – Glyndebourne – home, a 500-year-old manor in East Sussex.
Now holding the unique title of chatelaine of Glyndebourne, de Niese’s path to Lady of the manor began 20 years ago with a performance at Glyndebourne – home to the eponymous opera festival.
Danielle de Niese with husband Gus Christie, whose family have been the custodians of Glyndebourne for centuries. Picture: Supplied
“I made my Glyndebourne debut in 2005,” the opera legend — who is currently back in Australia to star in Opera Australia's new production of Carmen — told realestate.com.au.
“The thing I love most about the house is how normal it feels — it really is, to us, a family home. A home filled with love and all our family memories. Actually it’s often when I see the house in a photo shoot (when I’ve been shot at the house for magazines) that I suddenly look at what is ‘my home’ and often remark: ‘gosh the house really looks great doesn’t it?’”
Australian soprano Danielle de Niese at Glyndebourne. Picture: Sven Arnstein
The Melbourne-born performer first found fame at the age of nine when she became the youngest winner of TV show 'Young Talent Time' in 1988.
Soon after, she relocated to LA with her family where she became a regular guest host of the TV show, 'L.A. Kids', for which she won an Emmy Award at the age of 16. It was around the same age that the go-getter made her professional opera debut — a debut that would see her become one of the world’s most in-demand singers and be dubbed ‘opera’s coolest soprano’ by the New York Times Magazine.
Danielle de Niese performs the role of 'Carmen' at Sydney Opera House in July 2025. Picture: Getty
It was during her Glyndebourne debut as Cleopatra that she first crossed paths with Gus Christie — the grandson of the Glyndebourne opera house founders, John Christie and soprano Audrey Mildmay. Their connection blossomed amidst the artistic grandeur of the estate, leading to their marriage in 2009.
“Now, when I’m performing here it’s the shortest commute of my life!” joked the soprano.
Nestled in the English countryside, the 500-year-old property has been in Christie family for almost 200 years.
Glyndebourne in 1954. Picture: Glyndebourne Productions Ltd/Guy Gravett
"The manor house has a rich history," she explained.
“In the late 1800s, William Langham Christie made many changes to the house. He added a brick extension that hid the previous 17th-century facade, he had the architect Ewan Christian create new bay windows and add decorative brick and stonework, which has given the house the current Jacobean appearance you see now. So, the house has gone through many evolutions.”
Glyndebourne is roughly 500 years old. Picture: Glyndebourne Productions Ltd/Vicky Skeet
Though boasting an impressive 25 bedrooms and a remarkable organ room, perhaps Glyndebourne’s most distinctive feature is its in-house opera house — a structure that has evolved dramatically from the original 1930s 300-seat theatre to an 800-seat one in the 1970s and, most recently, a world-class 1,200-seat theatre in 1994.
Glyndebourne is often a "hive of activity". Picture: Glyndebourne Productions Ltd/Graham Carlow
“Part of the ethos of Glyndebourne is that the experience is like being in a hive of activity,” said de Niese.
“We provide a creative oasis for our artists to do that. At the house we host all the creative teams who are producing the shows here each summer: conductors, directors, set and costume designers, choreographers, language coaches — they all stay with us in the house as our guests for the duration of their contracts.”
Glyndebourne Opera House. Picture: Glyndebourne Productions Ltd/Andrew Hasson.
Of course, with large stately piles comes large responsibilities — especially when it comes to preserving the heritage of the structure.
“We have done some small things to the house's interior but it’s a Grade II-Listed property so there are restrictions,” she said. “The house has already gone through so many iterations over the centuries."
One notable change overseen by the couple was in 2013.
"We decided to return the front of the exterior of the house back into a private garden," she explains, describing the project to move bus parking and create a more fitting, smaller road.
But behind the grandeur and the opera fanfare is the fact that Glyndebourne is a family home — albeit a grand one.
"Many of our artists often tell us how the house is so wonderful and grand but feels truly warm and cosy like a family home," explained the performer.
The Organ Room at Glyndebourne. Picture: Glyndebourne Productions Ltd/Sam Stephenson
“We also live in the house as well as a family, so we have parts of the house that are private for the family — we have a family kitchen and living area filled with the kids toys and the like.”
And for those who might wander in unexpectedly? "One thing that is always quite funny is to remember we are attached to an opera house!" she laughed, recounting a time they found a man sitting in their private hall reading a program, unaware he had taken a wrong turn from the public areas.
Australian soprano Danielle de Niese at Glyndebourne. Picture: Sven Arnstein
Now, 16 years after she first relocated to the famed property, the 46-year-old is understandable proud of her part of Glyndebourne’s legacy.
“Of course, now as a member of the Christie family, my connection to the place is even deeper,” she said.
“Glyndebourne was created to make high-quality opera in the UK and to bring audiences to not only to opera, but into the beautiful English landscape. It was the family’s passion for opera that led to its founding and now, even three generations later, it really feels like a family’s labour of love. It’s an incredible legacy to be a part of both artistically and personally.”
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