ACE to commission independent analysis of opera

Arts Council England (ACE) has today announced plans to commission an independent analysis of opera and musical theatre. This announcement follows calls for the development of an opera strategy by ACE from six opera companies across the UK.

In a joint statement released yesterday by the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne, Opera North, English National Opera (ENO), English Touring Opera and Welsh National Opera (WNO) called for: ‘a strategy for opera provision based on industry consultation, audience insight and data.’

In a statement issued to arts management magazine Arts Professional, ACE said it continue to follow its more general 10-year arts strategy, Let’s Create, ‘which shapes all our investment and development decisions. We will not therefore develop separate artform or sub artform strategies.’

However, the statement confirms that the organisation will now embark on analysis of the art form: ‘As the national development agency for creativity and culture, for the past few months we have been planning to commission an independent piece of analysis, designed to focus on consideration of opera and music theatre in relation to Let’s Create. This analysis will help us shape our future investment in opera and music theatre and to develop a shared understanding with the sector of the challenges and opportunities currently faced by it.’

ACE’s funding announcement last November triggered uproar among members of the classical music industry after revealing funding cuts for organisations including WNO, Glyndebourne Tour and Britten Sinfonia as well as a plan for the ENO to move out of its London home. In the months following, although the ENO has secured funding for a year’s reprieve, WNO has had to curtail its planned tour, and Glyndebourne has had to cancel its 2023 tour altogether.

In yesterday’s joint statement, the opera companies said: ‘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.

ACE has said it plans to share further information about its planned analysis in the Spring.