Relocating English National Opera to Manchester and slashing budget 'not doable', says boss
Entertainment & arts reporter
He described the Arts Council's plan - which he only learned about a day before the announcement - as "absurd" and "insane". "These are skills that can't just be learned in the three years we've been given. These are people who've been in the company for 40 years. It takes a long time to train to be an opera singer. We can't just close down in one area and start in another."
"It reminds us that one in seven of our audience are under 35, that a fifth of our singers are ethnically diverse, that our average ticket price is a quarter of that of a normal opera house and we give free tickets to under-21s. He warned: "If they're not careful, they're going to dismantle an arts organisation that's been in existence for almost 100 years and is seen as a beacon for progressive work that's broken down preconceptions of opera."
"We raised Manchester as an option and English National Opera initially received that idea positively. English National Opera's future is in their hands - at this early stage we have announced our funding plans for the next three years, and now we hope to engage in detailed planning with them.
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