The Lloyd Newton Memorial Fund

​ Lloyd Newton was the founder and artistic director of Pegasus Opera Company. He was a trailblazer who dedicated his life to advocating for black and minority ethnic (BAME) performers in opera in the UK.  His mission was to encourage diverse audiences to engage with opera working tirelessly across geographical boundaries to ensure that opera was accessible to all. Lloyd served his community as a secondary school music education teacher for 15 years and as a voice teacher for over 25 years.

 

Lloyd performed under the stage name of Bernard Abervandana internationally and sang leading roles for Pegasus in shows that toured nationally and internationally. Some of Pegasus’ critically acclaimed productions include Falstaff, The Magic Flute, Carmen, L'elisir d'amore, Uncle Remus, Porgy and Bess, Pagliacci and Koanga.

 

In memory of Lloyd Newton who passed away in 2016, Pegasus Opera Company have created the Lloyd Newton Memorial Fund to support BAME emerging artists gain access to programmes under the Pegasus Opera Company umbrella to contribute to the cost of participating in our programmes. It will be Lloyd’s legacy to and keep his aspiration alive by passing the baton to the next generation of BAME professional artists in opera.