UK Opera Bodies Call on ACE to Develop Opera Strategy
Glyndebourne, Royal Opera House, Opera North, English National Opera, English Touring Opera and Welsh National Opera issued an appeal
By: Aliya Al-Hassan Jan. 25, 2023
The boards of opera bodies across the UK have issued a plea to Arts Council England to develop a strategy for opera provision.
Glyndebourne, Royal Opera House, Opera North, English National Opera, English Touring Opera and Welsh National Opera have all posted a tweet appealing to ACE and ACE CEO Darren Henley.
We call on @ace_national and @HENLEYDARREN to develop an opera strategy, in conversation with audiences and our colleagues across the industry - @RoyalOperaHouse, @Opera_North, @E_N_O, @ETOpera and @WNOtweet. pic.twitter.com/FTA9qIz5fx
- Glyndebourne (@glyndebourne) January 24, 2023
The messages state that "No opera strategy currently exists or is planned."
They go on to criticise both ACE and Henley "For ACE to make such fundamental and irreparable changes to opera provision in the country in the absence of such a strategy is reckless and threatens the UK's cultural standing in the world"
The ENO lost 100% of its ACE funding last year, with an instruction to move out of London. Glyndebourne Productions Ltd will receive 50 percent less Arts Council funding than in previous years, down from £1.6 million to £800,000 and has recently announced the cancellation of its touring productions. Welsh National Opera's annual allowance was cut by a third to £4 million, and the Royal Opera House was allocated £22.2 million - £2 million less than the previous Arts Council portfolio.
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