ACE confirms £24 million grant for English National Opera

Arts Council England​ (ACE)​ and the English National Opera​ (ENO) have this morning released a joint statement confirming that the ENO will receive a grant of £24 million for April 2024 to March 2026. The company has also been granted a longer timeframe to establish a new main base outside the capital by March 2029.

The ENO’s new home city will be revealed in December this year, with the move to be completed by March 2029, rather than by March 2026 as originally required. During the 2024-26 period, the ENO will transition to a new business model, delivering a ‘substantial opera season’ every year in London while developing a ‘significant performance and engagement programme’ in their new home city.

ENO chair Dr Harry Brünjes said: ‘We welcome this investment and additional time which we believe will help us to successfully develop a new main base out of London, whilst maintaining a season at the London Coliseum. We are pleased that Arts Council England support the artistic plans we have proposed in tandem with our longstanding wish to engage with new audiences and partners around the country. Our most recent season at the London Coliseum was a fantastic success, and we now have an opportunity to build upon that both within London and from our new base.’

The decision follows months of protest from the classical music sector in response to the ACE’s 2023-26 funding announcement which, in November 2022, revealed a fall in funding for organisations including Welsh National Opera, Britten Sinfonia and the ENO, requiring the ENO to move out of London to receive funding. The news confirms ACE’s original plan, announced in April, to grant the company the sum. At the time of the original announcement the Musicians’ Union (MU) welcomed the news but pointed out that keeping ACE funding for the company at the same level for the next three years represents a real-terms 24% cut since 2015 when current high levels of inflation and the cost of a new primary base are factored in.

ACE chair Sir Nicholas Serota said: ‘As custodians of public money, the Arts Council has led a rigorous process that has carefully considered ENO’s application. The ENO has presented inspiring ideas to bring their excellent work to people beyond the capital and to explore a range of new ways of presenting opera, and we are investing £24 million in the company over two years to help them realise these ambitions. The extended timeline for their transition to a new main base will enable the ENO to undertake this complex move and to develop partnerships in the new city. The Arts Council’s support for opera is unwavering, and we are excited by the ENO’s new plans and by the enthusiasm shown by the potential host cities.’

ACE and the ENO described their ‘shared ambition’ for the company as ‘for the ENO to be in a strong position to apply to the Arts Council’s National Portfolio of funded organisations from 2026.’