English National Opera chooses Manchester as new home after relocation row

English National Opera staged The Handmaid's Tale in 2022

The English National Opera has chosen Manchester as its new headquarters, a year after it was told to leave London or lose its Arts Council funding.

The historic company also had Birmingham and Liverpool on its final relocation shortlist.

Arts Council England controversially threatened to axe its annual £12m grant if it did not leave the capital.

After the move in 2029, the ENO will however continue to own and perform at its current home, the London Coliseum.

ENO interim chief executive Jenny Mollica said: "As we continue to transition through significant change, today's announcement marks an important and defining moment for our remarkable company.

"This future direction will see us continue to expand our role as a national institution - supporting our mission to create work with and for even more audiences across the country, alongside our annual season at the London Coliseum."

The ENO will continue to own, manage and stage a "substantial ENO season" at the London Coliseum

She said Greater Manchester had offered "an emerging vision for the future of ENO and operatic work" and they had "a shared ambition to open up new possibilities for opera in people's lives".

Manchester is currently the biggest city in Europe without a resident opera company, going by OECD population statistics.

Last November, Arts Council England told the ENO to move after being instructed by the government to spread more money beyond the capital.

The Arts Council suggested Manchester as a destination, but left the final decision up to the ENO.

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But the move was met by opposition from the company and many in the cultural world.

The row led Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to initially tell the ENO: "If you can't come willingly, don't come at all."

However, he has now said he is "immensely proud to be able to bring them to a new home here in Greater Manchester".

He added: "We can't wait to welcome them and see where this new partnership takes us."

Aviva Studios, which opened in Manchester earlier this year, will produce some new shows with the ENO

The opera company will not have its own venue, but will perform in locations including new £240m arts centre Aviva Studios and The Lowry theatre in Salford.

The Lowry chief executive Julia Fawcett said: "This is great news for audiences in the region and we look forward to collaborating with the company on their exciting new plans."

John McGrath, artistic director and chief executive of Factory International, which runs Aviva Studios, said: "We look forward to developing a number of exciting new co-productions together, and to presenting these ambitious explorations of the future of opera across the coming years."

He added that the ENO would be involved in its local training and skills scheme, "ensuring that the widest possible range of residents find employment in our ever-growing cultural sector".

'Just moving a brand name'

The ENO was originally told it would have its Arts Council grant effectively halved even if it did move, but has been awarded more funding as well as an extension to the original 2026 deadline to relocate.

Tuesday's news comes almost two months after the ENO's music director Martyn Brabbins resigned following the announcement of a proposal to axe 19 orchestral positions and employ its remaining musicians on part-time contracts.

He described it as "a plan of managed decline".

Tenor David Butt Philip, who has performed with the ENO, questioned what would happen to the current chorus, orchestra and technical team after the move.

"There is no such thing as 'ENO' without the people who actually create the performances," he wrote on X/Twitter. "You're moving a brand-name, not a company in any meaningful sense."