Annilese Miskimmon: National Opera leading lady 'proud' of NI roots
- Published
The arts have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with theatres closing and performers out of work.
So for Bangor woman Annilese Miskimmon, taking on the mantel of artistic director at the English National Opera (ENO) in London in May 2020, in the middle of the first lockdown, was no mean feat.
The 46-year-old is one of a handful of women in such a prestigious role internationally.
While she has yet to meet many colleagues in person, she says the pandemic has bonded them surprisingly quickly.
"We've had massive challenges like everyone. Colleagues have lost their jobs; but we didn't want to give in. We've had to think outside the box," she said.
A highly unusual drive-in Opera, 'Drive and Live' at the Alexandra Palace in London was staged by ENO in September 2020.
"Puccini's La Boheme in a car park, with people beeping their horns was amazing," she said.
"None of us feels like opera is a luxury. Society is in trouble and we feel so privileged to be able to still keep working during the pandemic and to be able to help and inspire people."
Annilese is especially proud of the project 'ENO Breathe', where the company works with the NHS to support people mentally and physically during the pandemic.
"We are working in 150 hospitals with people suffering from long Covid who have been left with physical and psychological issues because of the effect on their breathing," she said.
"We teach them how to use opera, singing and lullabies to help control their breathing and anxiety."
Announced in March, it was piloted with Imperial College Healthcare in London and was such a success that it's now being rolled out across the UK.
It's something Annilese would like to bring home to hospitals in Northern Ireland.
'Missing Northern Ireland'
The former Glenlola Collegiate pupil, who now lives in Surrey with her husband, loves to get back to County Down to spend time with mum and dad, Irene and John, something she has missed during lockdown.
"My parents are massively supportive, I was last back home in August," she said.
"The only reason I got into opera was because of my dad.
"He sang in the chorus of Opera NI and also at Castleward Opera and I soon joined him as a teenager.
"We were kind of isolated during the Troubles, but ironically while we had the amateur chorus in Opera NI we also had professional directors and singers.
"Then all these amazing people who worked in the business came over from England to work with us young people in Northern Ireland."
Annilese's journey has taken her from Bangor to Christ's College, Cambridge, where she studied English Literature; to the famous Glynebourne Opera when she started directing.
Now a leading lady in the world of opera management, she has collected many acclaimed awards along the way.
But no matter where her career takes her, the local girl says when she walks into a rehearsal room and people hear her accent, they smile.
"I feel very proud to come from Northern Ireland. I think we make other people feel comfortable and that's an underappreciated quality," she said.
"That's so important in life in general, but especially in creative life, because making art together is quite a vulnerable thing to do."
She added: "There's something about being from Northern Ireland, we appreciate opportunities that come our way. I feel we underestimate how valuable we are on the international stage."
Led by Annilese, ENO was recently featured on the BBC's Comic Relief on 15 March 2021, working with soprano Charlotte Church and top comedians including Jennifer Saunders.
A recording of Handel's 'The Messiah', will be broadcast on BBC Two Northern Ireland, on Saturday 3 April at 18:00 BST.