Education
Born to a wealthy landed family in Eggesford, Devon, Christie was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, later spending seven years at Eton as a master.
Born to a wealthy landed family in Eggesford, Devon, Christie was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, later spending seven years at Eton as a master.
Having been given the Glyndebourne Estate for his own use he began to develop local enterprises there from 1920 onwards: in 1923, he acquired the famous organbuilding company of William Hill & Son & Norman & Beard Limited., which had come into being around 1916 with the progressive merging of its two constituent firms. The firm remained in Christie ownership until its demise in the 1990s. This was completed in 1934 and the first season, which featured Mozart"s Le nozze di Figaro and Cosi fan tutte, conducted by Fritz Busch was an immediate success.
In succeeding years Christie continued to finance the Glyndebourne Festival Opera himself but after World World War II, during which the opera season was suspended, the costs became harder to bear.
Eventually however he succeeded in getting commercial sponsorship, placing the Festival on a sound footing and enabling him to aspire to the highest artistic standards. His legacy is an institution that still flourishes and receives international acclaim.
He died at Glyndebourne in 1962. John"s founding of Glyndebourne is the subject of the 2015 biographical play The Moderate Soprano by David Hare.