In 1955, Ashton was finally forced to make a choice. Invited to work with Orson Welles in Madrid for the film "Mr. Arkadin", Ashton was on location when he received a message that English Opera Group wanted him to take part in a revival of "Albert Herring". Having already promised to work on the film, though no contract had been signed, Ashton turned the EOG job down, so finishing his association with the group. His work as a make-up artist was a more lucrative and stable source of income, so he devoted himself to that career. However he would always fondly remember his singing career: "Nothing can compare with the thrill of appearing before a great gathering, of hearing the thunder of the applause delivered to a sincere artist," he wrote.