English National Opera outlines Manchester plans

English National Opera has announced plans for its future as part of its move to Manchester.

The company, which was controversially dropped from Arts Council England’s National Portfolio in November 2022 and told to relocate in order to access further funding, said projects across the city-region will cover every aspect of opera production and celebrate “new possibilities for the artform”.

Alongside a series of productions taking place in Manchester between 2025 and 2027, ENO says it will start work on the creation of a Greater Manchester Youth Opera Company next September.

The new company, which will be established in partnership with Greater Manchester and Blackburn with Darwen Music Hub, will work with young people aged 13-19 from across the city-region from backgrounds underrepresented and underserved in the arts.

ENO said the programme will “broaden access to creating opera, strengthen and diversify the sector talent pipeline, and invest in the opera-makers of the future”.

Meanwhile, it will work alongside Salford-based outdoor arts specialists Walk the Plank to launch Perfect Pitch, a large-scale participation programme exploring the impact that mass singing has on team performance and spectator experience, next summer.

There will also be a city-region wide expansion of ENO Breathe, ENO’s creative health programme, originally created for people recovering from Covid alongside Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

‘Right place to put down roots’

Jenny Mollica, chief executive of English National Opera, said: “The projects we are announcing mark the first wave of our developing partnership with Greater Manchester, which will be fully implemented by 2029.

“Working together over the last year, we could not be more clear that Greater Manchester is the right place to put down roots, a place where we can develop, expand and innovate.

“Where, building on the region’s legendary reputation as the heart of music making in this country, we can make a difference to audiences and communities, help invest in the next generation of talent and break new ground in the future of the artform – locally, nationally and internationally.”

Arts Minister Chris Bryant said: “English National Opera’s plans for their work in Manchester are exciting and inspiring – they will help to ensure that arts and culture are no longer the preserve of a privileged few by giving opera a permanent home in the city and engaging directly with local communities.

“The arts have the power to make a huge difference to people’s lives and these new plans announced by English National Opera and Greater Manchester will be fantastic for the people in the city and the wider area.”