English National Opera confirms Greater Manchester as future home

English National Opera (ENO) has today (Tuesday) confirmed that its future home will be in Greater Manchester, over a year since Arts Council England (ACE) removed the organisation from its national portfolio.

ACE said that future funding would also depend on ENO moving out of London, with ENO and Greater Manchester working to create a new main base in the city-region by 2029. 

The announcement follows the agreement reached with ACE earlier this year, in which £24m (€28m/$30m) was awarded to ENO to develop an artistic programme in a new base outside of London during the 2024-26 period. 

Following the transition to a new business model over the next two years, the ENO will deliver performances, wellbeing and learning activities through multiple partners and venues across Greater Manchester from 2029. 

ENO will also continue to curate a substantial opera season every year at its home in the UK capital, the London Coliseum.  

“ENO is delighted to confirm the start of our new partnership with Greater Manchester from today. As we continue to transition through significant change, today’s announcement marks an important and defining moment for our remarkable company,” said Jenny Mollica, interim chief executive, English National Opera. 

“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.

“Throughout our discussions with partners and stakeholders in Greater Manchester, we have been struck by an emerging vision for the future of ENO and operatic work in the city-region, defined by a shared ambition to open up new possibilities for opera in people’s lives. We look forward to embarking on new adventures with partners, artists and audiences across Greater Manchester as we create a range of operatic repertoire at a local, national and international scale, inspired by the extraordinary cultural vibrancy of Greater Manchester and its communities.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham added: “The ENO is one of the most exciting cultural institutions in the country, and we’re immensely proud to be able to bring them to a new home here in Greater Manchester.

“We’ve worked closely with them to set out a shared vision for a future in our city-region, where they can continue making groundbreaking opera, foster new collaborations with artists across the North, and bring their award-winning learning and wellbeing programmes to communities here.”