Eric Crozier

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Eric Crozier (born 14 November 1914 in London — died 7 September 1994, Granville, France) was a British theatrical director and opera librettist long associated with Benjamin Britten.

After apprenticing at the Old Vic theatre, Crozier joined the Sadlers Wells Opera Company in London during the Second World War and directed Britten's first opera, Peter Grimes there in 1945. He founded the English Opera Group in 1947 and co-founded with Britten the Aldeburgh Festival in 1948. His wife Nancy Evans (1915-2000) sang the role of Lucretia in the 1946 premiere of Britten's opera The Rape of Lucretia at Glyndebourne (produced by Crozier) and later succeeded Peter Pears as director of the Aldeburgh Festival where both taught.

Eric Crozier's first opera libretto for Benjamin Britten was Albert Herring (1947) and he later wrote or produced several other Britten operas. Crozier's and Nancy Evans' archives are preserved at Aldeburgh, summarized at http://www.brittenpears.org/?page=research/archive/special/crozier.html