Think Glyndebourne, think picnics, champagne, dinner dress.

There is, though, another Glyndebourne, one that works in schools, prisons, communities for which Glyndebourne opera might otherwise be a dream.

The Jerwood Chorus Development Scheme is part of it, even if its perspective is more inward-looking.

The Glyndebourne chorus has an enviable record of nurturing promising singers, and the scheme gives recent and current members a chance in the spotlight.

This year, that opportunity took the form of a new opera, Julian Philips's The Yellow Sofa, staged in a rehearsal studio temporarily transformed into a public theatre.

Or perhaps semi-public: admission is free to those who have a ticket for the main-house opera that follows.

Edward Kemp's libretto derives from a novella by the Portuguese writer Eça de Queirós; set in 19th-century Lisbon, it tells the story of Godofredo, a workaholic who comes home one day to find his beautiful wife canoodling adulterously but somewhat decorously on the yellow sofa.

Kemp's treatment of the ensuing muddle is rather wordy, but Philips responds well; he is not afraid of melody or lyrical expression, and he handles the comedy with some deft touches.

Someone had the bright idea of giving the sofa a singing role, and Martha Bredin makes the most of it, particularly of some pseudo-fado songs that Philips concocts to impart an atmosphere of melancholy sensuality.

He has scored the piece for 14 players (Britten Sinfonia conducted by Leo McFall), so that orchestral textures support the voices while providing ample variety, including some lovely touches for guitar.

Despite the excess verbiage, the singers communicate well.

If none of them yet seems on the verge of stardom, Michael Wallace and Elizabeth Llewellyn breathe real emotional life into the married couple; their eventual reunion is nicely handled in Frederic Wake-Walker's economical production.

The Yellow Sofa is no masterpiece but it knows what it wants to achieve. One day it may find itself a wider audience.

Until 28 August. 01273 813813. www.glyndebourne.com.