Opera

Proposed cuts to English National Opera's (ENO) chorus will cause "profound anxiety" to freelance singers and have "repercussions" that will "ripple across the entire UK opera workforce", according to members of performers' union Equity.

Equity's Singers and Opera Deputies Committees have released a joint statement expressing its concern over the impact of job losses and pay cuts to ENO’s chorus.

According to Equity, the proposals include reducing the chorus' contract length from 10 to six months of the year and a 40% cut in salary. It would also see a reduction in the size of the chorus on the new six-month "permanent" contracts to 36 singers, down from its current membership of 37 and three fixed-term fellowship positions. 

The cuts emerged alongside plans to downsize ENO's orchestra and cut some of its technical staff.

In the statement, the committees were critical of ACE's handling of ENO's core funding. It said: "These cuts have not occurred in isolation. Arts organisations are looking to rebuild after the pandemic with insufficient public funding.

"When Arts Council England removed ENO from the National Portfolio in November 2022, it did so seemingly without any strategy or rationale behind how funding decisions were made.

“Meanwhile, cuts were also made to other companies, which have reduced the amount of work available for singers, both in terms of the amount of opera produced and the number of singers engaged, putting the workforce under strain.

"Towns and cities such as Milton Keynes and Liverpool will be deprived of large-scale touring opera, running directly counter to the aims of bringing opera to new and regionally diverse audiences.

"Regular work, underpinned by good terms and conditions, is vital in ensuring that those from all backgrounds can access, and remain in, a career in opera.”

The committees have urged ENO to find “a sustainable solution” that would “protect the employment” of chorus members “with a viable income” and called upon ACE to develop a strategy to “provide funding for the public provision of Opera for all, including its dedicated workforce."

ENO has said the cuts are necessary following a reduction in its funding from ACE. The company, which has until 2029 to move its headquarters out of London under ACE plans, has said that following negotiations with the funding body, it was “no longer facing mass permanent redundancies” but was reevaluating employment levels “across every part of the organisation”. 

Sam Jackson, Controller of BBC Radio 3, has insisted disbanding the BBC Singers is not on the broadcaster’s agenda.

In his first interview since becoming Controller in April, Jackson told The Times that the BBC does not intend to renege on its u-turn on plans to close down the professional choir.

“We are exploring some really exciting plans for the BBC Singers. We’re working on on-air plans for them right into next year. The BBC Singers have a long-term future,” Jackson said.

His comments follow claims from the Musician’s Union late last month that alternative funding models were being considered for the choir.

Speaking to the Times, Jackson confirmed discussions are confidential, but “happening at pace”.

“They are very meaningful, and I wouldn’t simply be sitting here saying that to you now if there wasn’t a lot of substance,” he added.

When asked if a new funding model could mean BBC Singers does more commercial work, Jackson replied: “there could be elements of that, but it can’t be anything that reduces the distinctiveness of who they are and what they do.”

Protesters from campaign group Just Stop Oil halted an opera performance at Glyndebourne yesterday (15 June).

The BBC reports that three protesters purchased tickets for a performance of Dialogues des Carmelites at the East Sussex venue before setting off a confetti bomb and blowing an air horn an hour in.

The performance was halted for around 20 minutes while the protesters were removed from the auditorium.

A statement put out by Glyndebourne following the incident said: "We are very sorry to everyone whose visit to Glyndebourne was affected by the protest action today. 

"Our highest priority was the safety and security of everyone on site and we would like to thank our staff and performers, whose calm and professional response kept everyone safe and disruption to a minimum.

"We have formally reported the incident to the police but the police were not on site and no arrests were made."

Glyndebourne has previously committed itself to halving direct carbon emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050.