Welsh National Opera cancels spring tour

A statement from the company pointed out, in comparison with companies in England,  WNO is subject to Welsh Government Covid-19 regulations which are – and have been since March 2020 – legal requirements in Wales, not guidance. As such, despite our remit to work in both Wales and many regions of England, WNO has not been able to hold any live public performances – socially-distanced or otherwise – since March 2020.

The statement added that in In late autumn 2020 the company was able to hold socially-distanced ensemble rehearsals for some ‘Covid compliant’ recording at St David’s Hall with its chorus and orchestra (separately). These recordings are now being released online.  ‘The current Welsh Government approval for us to rehearse is only for the purposes of recording,’ a spokesperson for WNO explained. ‘We are continuing our negotiations with Welsh Government to enable us to rehearse for performances with a live audience once it is safe to do so.  We are expecting to return to the stage in Autumn 2021.’

Welsh National Opera tells Opera Now how they have been keeping their audiences entertained and engaged through the pandemic: 

‘When we first went into lockdown, we didn’t have a wealth of existing operas which we could release or broadcast in their entirety. This, however, gave us the opportunity to take a different approach to creating digital content that is specifically for the purpose of being consumed on online platforms and at home. During the last nine months, we have captured and released a range of content across WNO channels including:

• our Play Opera series for families
• the release of La Voix Humaine with soprano Claire Booth
• digital lockdown performances from our Chorus and Orchestra
• our most recent release – Creating Change.

Eric Ngalle CHarles is Heaven 2 – part of WNO’s Creating Change series of online commissions from artists seeking sanctuary in the UK

More of this digital content is scheduled in for the next few weeks, and we will continue to make digital output a part of our ongoing programme to engage with our audiences and communities.

• We have been able to deliver much of our engagement and outreach work online including our Youth Opera in South Wales, North Wales and the Midlands, our Cradle Choir for people living with dementia in Milford Haven and more recently with our Community Choruses and hospital programme in Cardiff, and our second partnership with Oasis Cardiff to create A Song for the Future which involved working with writers and musicians who have sought sanctuary in the UK.
• In Spring 2020 we launched a new podcast with episodes in English – The O Word – and in Welsh – Cipolwg. We will be releasing new episodes in Spring 2021.
• We have also continued with our Associate Artist scheme to support emerging talent and are doing all we can under the current guidelines to provide training and opportunities for the three young singers who joined us for the 20/21 season. We are soon to recruit for a Directing Fellow with the support of a creative bursary from Weston Jerwood.  The scheme will provide a year-long opportunity for a talented individual as a first foot in the door for a career in the arts.