The end of ENO?

[Ein Heldenleben]

Just bumping SB's post but:

There's a good article in Prospect Magazine by John Berry, artistic director of ENO 2005=2015 with some interesting points, e.g. that there are several European cities which have the same arts budget as ACE, c. £500m. And:

'Contrast that European approach with the launch of ACE’s ten-year plan in April 2019, “Let’s Create”, which was overshadowed by some communication misfires. ACE’s deputy chief executive for arts and culture, Simon Mellor, shot himself and the organisation in the foot with the statement: “Relevance not excellence will be the new litmus test for funding.” ' Indeed, compare that with:

'ACE’s current director of music, Claire Mera-Nelson, says that “it is sometimes more important to think about audience opportunity than it is to always prioritise the quality of the platform” ' which sounds like the same foot-shooting as two years ago, albeit in slightly different words. Audience opportunity.

What about the “opportunity “ for audiences to hear opera in the South West and the “opportunity “ to hear one of Europe’s finest opera companies, ENO, at their home in London?

[Darkbloom]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/19/england-opera-cutting-funding-eno-levelling-up

For anyone that's interested. The comments section is utterly infuriating, though, so proceed with caution if you suffer from high blood pressure.

[ChandlersFord]

When I was younger it was possible for everyone to become familiar with opera because the BBC would show 4 to 5 live relays a year from the Opera House and ENO each year, Channel 4 broadcast an opera every Sunday afternoon and even ITV would occasionally show an opera on its main Channel. The opera director, David McVicar, fell in love with opera because he was able to see it on the TV in his Council house in Glasgow.

Now we are lucky to maybe get one opera a year from the BBC around Christmas, so it's really not surprising that the audience for opera tends to be middle class, white (and judging by the audiences at the Opera House, European visitors and ex-pats). Increasing diversity is a laudable aim, but opera companies and orchestras are always going to be fighting a losing battle when there is so little music and opera shown on TV and the message from much of the media, politicians etc is that 'this isn't for you'.

The ridiculous Mr.Bear figure Domnic Raab sneering at Angela Rayner for her visit to Glyndebourne really made my hackles rise.

[Master Jacques]

'ACE’s current director of music, Claire Mera-Nelson, says that “it is sometimes more important to think about audience opportunity than it is to always prioritise the quality of the platform” ' which sounds like the same foot-shooting as two years ago, albeit in slightly different words. Audience opportunity.

This is parroting the official line on arts funding generally, in our benighted country. Excellence is discredited, as "elitist" and "non-inclusive". As for Dr. Claire Mera-Nelson, her career profile is typical of an ex-performer who turns to administration in (a) one of our music educational establishments, and (b) one of our funding bodies. It almost seems as if people like her are out to take revenge on former professional colleagues trying to sustain their careers, by doing them down in favour of amateur-based community projects. At any rate, this particular administrative hack ought to leave post pronto, for betraying quality music-making in such disgraceful statements.

[french frank]

A rally will be held outside the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, 100 Parliament Street, SW1A 2BQ at 11 a.m. on Tuesday 22nd November. It has been organised by Equity and ENO chorus, I believe, but all are welcome. I understand that this may not suit your travel arrangements - just letting you know.

Just bumping SB's post but:

There's a good article in Prospect Magazine by John Berry, artistic director of ENO 2005=2015 with some interesting points, e.g. that there are several European cities which have the same arts budget as ACE, c. £500m. And:

'Contrast that European approach with the launch of ACE’s ten-year plan in April 2019, “Let’s Create”, which was overshadowed by some communication misfires. ACE’s deputy chief executive for arts and culture, Simon Mellor, shot himself and the organisation in the foot with the statement: “Relevance not excellence will be the new litmus test for funding.” ' Indeed, compare that with:

'ACE’s current director of music, Claire Mera-Nelson, says that “it is sometimes more important to think about audience opportunity than it is to always prioritise the quality of the platform” ' which sounds like the same foot-shooting as two years ago, albeit in slightly different words. Audience opportunity.

[Simon Biazeck]

I ask because I’m paying a rare London visit and will be in the West End pm.
Many years ago the local theatre here did a protest outside the Arts Council singing “ Do You Hear The People Sing “ from Les Mis . It struck me as a bit weird as any musical less in need of subsidy would be difficult to imagine. Then of course I remembered it was originally (in English ) an RSC / Mackintosh co- pro and the pre first night gossip was that it would be a career -destroying flop.
That tiny subsidy to the RSC has probably earned enough back in taxes to fund the Arts Council for years - literally hundreds of millions of pounds.
They are not just killing art they are undermining one of our most successful sectors - the creative industries.

A rally will be held outside the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, 100 Parliament Street, SW1A 2BQ at 11 a.m. on Tuesday 22nd November. It has been organised by Equity and ENO chorus, I believe, but all are welcome. I understand that this may not suit your travel arrangements - just letting you know.

Cheers!

~S.

[LHC]

When I was younger it was possible for everyone to become familiar with opera because the BBC would show 4 to 5 live relays a year from the Opera House and ENO each year, Channel 4 broadcast an opera every Sunday afternoon and even ITV would occasionally show an opera on its main Channel. The opera director, David McVicar, fell in love with opera because he was able to see it on the TV in his Council house in Glasgow.

Now we are lucky to maybe get one opera a year from the BBC around Christmas, so it's really not surprising that the audience for opera tends to be middle class, white (and judging by the audiences at the Opera House, European visitors and ex-pats). Increasing diversity is a laudable aim, but opera companies and orchestras are always going to be fighting a losing battle when there is so little music and opera shown on TV and the message from much of the media, politicians etc is that 'this isn't for you'.

[oddoneout]

Another bit of reading
https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/blog/...g-future-music which includes a paragraph specifically about ENO. Looking at the package ACE is "offering" I can't help thinking that 1) a lot of money is going to get wasted(although there will be some beneficiaries I have no doubt I'm not sure to what extent they will further the cause and future of opera) and 2) is there some sort of parallel agenda going on? I can't escape the feeling that somewhere there is a wish to run an experiment and ENO has been designated the guinea pig, for possibly no other reason than "they" can. I just find it very odd that such a major change as is potentially being expected/demanded seems to have been dropped out of the blue without, apparently, reference to anything outside of ENO, such as existing organisations in the suggested destination area or the logistics of relocation in terms of premises, personnel etc.

I haven't as yet gone through all the linked items in the article - there is only so much I can take at the start of the day!

[duncan]

There’s quite a complex matrix of ethnicity, gender, sometimes age , social class and disability to log and report back. The. “targets” to meet are then set . In some organisations bonuses are tied in with meeting the targets. There are , however permitted mitigating circumstances e.g. areas of the UK with lower ethnic diversity. The real problem is that in some public sector organisations there’s very little turnover with entirely graduate recruitment, the pay is relatively poor ,and the sector itself is not viewed as a prestige occupation amongst some people from ethnic minorities - unlike say medicine or financial services. A decent IT job in the City is six figures these days - trading and banking jobs stratospherically higher.

A great many people with a career in the arts, all the ones in London I know at least, are supported by partners in more lucrative fields and usually have a financially secure family background. An arts career is especially risky if you are one of the first of your family bright enough and with the breaks to make it to University or conservatoire. As EH says, this makes it an unattractive prospect for most non-middle class white people.

In other news, the Arts Council England executive board are entirely white.

[Ein Heldenleben]

It's a pity that diversity so often seems to mean just colour and gender. Norfolk is probably even less colour diverse than Suffolk, and even Essex is about 90% white so on that basis in terms of audience Britten Sinfonia are losing from the off. As an organisation they do seem to be all white, even if a great many are also women, so I suppose that also counts against them. Perhaps the Chair of the Development Committee has work to do; simply being sister to the ACE Chair doesn't appear to be sufficient...

There’s quite a complex matrix of ethnicity, gender, sometimes age , social class and disability to log and report back. The. “targets” to meet are then set . In some organisations bonuses are tied in with meeting the targets. There are , however permitted mitigating circumstances e.g. areas of the UK with lower ethnic diversity. The real problem is that in some public sector organisations there’s very little turnover with entirely graduate recruitment, the pay is relatively poor ,and the sector itself is not viewed as a prestige occupation amongst some people from ethnic minorities - unlike say medicine or financial services. A decent IT job in the City is six figures these days - trading and banking jobs stratospherically higher.

[oddoneout]

Cambridgeshire is significantly less ethnically diverse than the England average and Suffolk even more so which must make it a real problem to attract a diverse concert audience. I’m quite a frequent Met opera cinema goer. I noticed at the last relay I went to the stalls were almost entirely white and this is in one the most diverse cities on earth. The only visible ethnic minorities were in the orchestra, the chorus , one or two principals and one of the ushers . If funding is to follow audience diversity then classical music organisations face big challenges . Back in the early noughties I worked with a local tertiary education college to fund diversity bursaries as I noticed most of our potential employees were being trained there. It took years for that to have any impact.

It's a pity that diversity so often seems to mean just colour and gender. Norfolk is probably even less colour diverse than Suffolk, and even Essex is about 90% white so on that basis in terms of audience Britten Sinfonia are losing from the off. As an organisation they do seem to be all white, even if a great many are also women, so I suppose that also counts against them. Perhaps the Chair of the Development Committee has work to do; simply being sister to the ACE Chair doesn't appear to be sufficient...

[ChandlersFord]

Cambridgeshire is significantly less ethnically diverse than the England average and Suffolk even more so which must make it a real problem to attract a diverse concert audience. I’m quite a frequent Met opera cinema goer. I noticed at the last relay I went to the stalls were almost entirely white and this is in one the most diverse cities on earth. The only visible ethnic minorities were in the orchestra, the chorus , one or two principals and one of the ushers . If funding is to follow audience diversity then classical music organisations face big challenges . Back in the early noughties I worked with a local tertiary education college to fund diversity bursaries as I noticed most of our potential employees were being trained there. It took years for that to have any impact.

I'm not sure diversity is at all natural, or even desirable in certain instances.

Why should someone of black/African heritage take an interest in music from outside their own culture? I listen to music from outside my own culture but I'll admit, it usually makes me feel like a tourist and I'll admit to being at sea when called on to judge the musical quality of Opera North's recent Orpheus.

Great if diverse audiences do attend opera productions and classical concerts, but I think it's a lost cause trying to 'make this happen.'

[Ein Heldenleben]

I've just come across this while following up a Guardian article about the current ACE funding round. The article is from 2016

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/12/number-of-minority-arts-workers-must-improve-arts-council-england

Incidentally I thought the dignified response from Britten Sinfonia quoted here https://www.theguardian.com/culture/...nding-verdicts was noteworthy. I wonder how the discussions with ACE have gone. Meurig Bowen says there were no prior red flags which seems odd to me; if BS is falling short on something ACE consider important then isn't that part of the feedback and monitoring process which surely takes place with such grants? It might not change the outcome but forewarned is forearmed and helps with planning.

Cambridgeshire is significantly less ethnically diverse than the England average and Suffolk even more so which must make it a real problem to attract a diverse concert audience. I’m quite a frequent Met opera cinema goer. I noticed at the last relay I went to the stalls were almost entirely white and this is in one the most diverse cities on earth. The only visible ethnic minorities were in the orchestra, the chorus , one or two principals and one of the ushers . If funding is to follow audience diversity then classical music organisations face big challenges . Back in the early noughties I worked with a local tertiary education college to fund diversity bursaries as I noticed most of our potential employees were being trained there. It took years for that to have any impact.

[oddoneout]

I've just come across this while following up a Guardian article about the current ACE funding round. The article is from 2016

Publicly subsidised arts organisations were told two years ago that diversity had to be a central part of their operations, in terms of audience and workforce, or they would face having their funding axed.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/12/number-of-minority-arts-workers-must-improve-arts-council-england

Incidentally I thought the dignified response from Britten Sinfonia quoted here https://www.theguardian.com/culture/...nding-verdicts was noteworthy. I wonder how the discussions with ACE have gone. Meurig Bowen says there were no prior red flags which seems odd to me; if BS is falling short on something ACE consider important then isn't that part of the feedback and monitoring process which surely takes place with such grants? It might not change the outcome but forewarned is forearmed and helps with planning.

[Dave2002]

Yes. Northumberland in the early noughties. They had a very good 3 tier school system which suited the rural communities well. Northumberland County Council wanted to introduce the standard Primary/Secondary system and constructed a questionnaire to the populace. There was no option in the requests to reply the 3 tier system suits us and our children very well thankyou - leave it alone!

EVen if there had been, and everyone had answered that way, the outcome would very likely have been the same. Then you (or your representatives) would have received a letter/message - "thank you for supporting us in our proposals".