Review 2015
Welcome This brief overview of twelve months in the life of Opera North provides a snapshot of the rich diversity of transformative experiences created by the Company. We hope that, for all its brevity, it gives a flavour of the Company’s enterprising character.
We continue to make strenuous efforts to broaden the audience for Opera North’s work through initiatives such as the Community Engagement programme, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and our Under 30s scheme, the membership of which tripled during the course of the year. Beyond the main stage, Opera North Projects extended the Company’s geographical reach by taking work to two of the summer’s major festivals, while we continue to seek new and deeper ways to engage with our communities through the growth and development of the work of Opera North Education. Some of our many partnerships in the arts, business, education and social sectors can be glimpsed throughout this Review. In January Opera North Business Partners was launched with the aim of uniting business leaders in their ambition to make the Leeds city region a cultural powerhouse; by July, it could boast 40 members. We renewed our pioneering DARE partnership with the University of Leeds, recognised nationally as a model for how collaboration between the arts and Higher Education can make a meaningful difference to learning and practice across both sectors. Through research, skills development and special collaborative projects, DARE is set to develop in new and exciting ways in the years ahead. With the financial climate remaining uncertain, the stability provided by continued investment by Arts Council England and Leeds City Council is vital not only in itself for the sustainability of the Company, but also for the confidence it generates among the many individuals, businesses, trusts and foundations who support all aspects of our work.
In February, we were sad to learn of the death of one of Opera North’s founding fathers, Sir Gordon Linacre, who, together with Lord Harewood, was instrumental in the Company’s creation. It is because of the courage and vision of Sir Gordon and the others like him who continue to champion Opera North that we can look to the future with some optimism.
Patron HRH The Duke of Kent KG Founder George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood KBE General Director Richard Mantle OBE Music Director Richard Farnes
Board of Trustees Paul Lee (Chairman) Paula Dillon (Vice Chairman) Clive Lloyd (Vice Chairman) Ed Anderson Mark Armour Paul Baverstock John Bywater Peter Maniura Richard Mantle Nima Poovaya-Smith Martin Vander Weyer Cllr Keith Wakefield Irving Warnett
Development Board Paul Baverstock (Chairman) Ed Anderson (Deputy Chairman) Rachel Beverley-Stevenson Michael Furse Howard Gatiss Francesca Horsfield Gerald Jennings Andrew Lawson-Tancred Anthony Robards
Paul Lee
Opera North
Richard Mantle
- Creates and stages uncompromisingly adventurous opera, music and performance in collaboration with field-leading artists
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
General Director
- Provides transformative social, intellectual and emotional experiences both on and beyond the stage that enrich the lives of audiences, artists and communities - Believes that opera can be for everyone, and increases participation in the arts by championing arts eduction and reaching out to diverse audiences - Is based in Leeds, rooted in the North, and international in outlook. It is the region’s leading cultural export and brings significant social and economic capital to the city and to the region.
Be part of something extraordinary Covers: Opera North’s new production of La traviata in rehearsal, September 2014 These pages: I am yours, yours am I: installation in the Howard Assembly Room commissioned by Opera North Projects to complement the Company’s new production of Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea.
Work Between September 2014 and August 2015, Opera North was responsible for 238 public performances in 30 different venues across the country. Music from each of the past six centuries from the great European traditions and beyond was performed by leading artists, frequently in imaginative new configurations.
238
public performances presented by Opera North
‘For the Howard Assembly Room, nothing but praise: architecturally and acoustically excellent, it offers an enterprising programme, with a fair bit of jazz in among the classical recitals, operas, choral concerts, folk and country, films, installations and the rest – and that’s apart from its day job as home to Opera North’s remarkable orchestra.’ Ron Simpson, The Jazz Rag
‘Tim Albery’s modern-dress production for Opera North is stunning. He directs with the necessary verve – necessary because the opera is such a challenge to stage, the exquisite decorum of the music in opposition to the chaos it describes. A hugely enjoyable evening.’ Kate Kellaway, The Observer on The Coronation of Poppea
Opera North has a consistent record for offbeat programming … This winter, Opera North patrons have seen a grippingly theatrical modern dress , and now a rare – perhaps even unique – double bill.’ Hugh Canning, Sunday Times on La vida breve / Gianni Schicchi 7
Audiences Opera North creates transformative experiences for its audiences and has developed the largest audience for opera in the UK outside of London. Initiatives such as its Community Engagement programme funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and its Under 30s membership scheme grow from strength to strength. ‘I am writing to express my gratitude for the chance to experience fantastic music, an outstanding performance and overall a great evening of culture. The work you do with the communities in Leeds is very much appreciated and I hope you are able to carry on bringing the amazing world of music and performance into the lives of peoples to whom that world is out of reach.’ Service user, Refugee Education Training and Advisory Service
‘My first opera and what a night! I loved the cast and the storyline and thought if this is what seeing an opera is like I will definitely consider going again. Wonderful.’ Diane, comment left on Opera North website Opera North Review 2011 – 2012
Inside Opera: The Marriage of Figaro pre-performance event, Howard Assembly Room, January 2015
‘In the few months I spent working at Opera North I was struck by the wonderfully diverse and imaginative ways that the Company finds to ensure that people from all backgrounds are allowed the opportunity to share in this great medium. From the hugely successful Under 30s scheme to the various and varied education projects, there always seem to be new listeners involved in the ON community. As a performer, the atmosphere is palpably different when fresh ears and eyes are in the auditorium – from the manner of the applause to the uninhibited responses to every detail of the production – and it is always a delight and a privilege for us to sense this joy of discovery in the air.’
Alexander Shelley, Conductor, The Marriage of Figaro
Schools’ performance of The Bartered Bride at Leeds Grand Theatre, October 2014
Between September 2014 and August 2015 there were:
48%
3,805
103,694
2,269
4,260
82
New Opera North attenders at La traviata
Mentions in the press
Members of Under 30s scheme
Broadcast minutes
48
216,623
Free events provided by Opera North
Unique visitors to the Opera North website
Total attenders nationwide of an Opera North show, concert, event
Groups and organisations joining the Opera North Community Engagement project funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation
Communities Opera North plays a vital part in the lives of communities and of individuals. Each year, the Company enriches the lives of more than 15,000 young people and adults through sustained engagement in some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country.
Bransholme, Hull Opera North Children’s Chorus and Youth Chorus Opera North’s future plans in Hull include new branches of the Opera North Children’s Chorus and the Opera North Youth Company, ensembles which give talented young people in the region the opportunity to develop their vocal technique alongside musicianship, drama and stagecraft skills.
15,000
Young people and adults reached by Opera North Education in the North of England
The Leeds branch of the Opera North Children’s Chorus, which is comprised of 90 members aged 8 – 14, staged its first opera in 2015 at the Northern Aldborough Festival and in the Howard Assembly Room at Opera North: a new version of Oscar Wilde’s tale The Selfish Giant set to music from Handel’s operas. Left: In Harmony masterclass Top: The Opera North Children’s Chorus in rehearsals for their new opera The Selfish Giant, based on Oscar Wilde’s story with music by Handel, November 2014
Opera North’s newest Community Residency programme began in the Bransholme area of Hull this year. The scheme includes the first Opera North Singing School at Bude Park Primary School, which combines singing and expressive movement to transform children’s aspirations, learning outcomes and engagement in school life. It utilises expertise garnered from the Company’s orchestra-focused Community Residency in Leeds, In Harmony Opera North, to create the first programme of its kind, made possible through the support of Hesslebased William Jackson Food Group, and other supporters including the Ernest Cook Trust. Top: Opera North Singing School: children from Bude Park Primary School at the summer concert, July 2015 Right: Cast members Brenden Gunnell (Jeník) and Kate Valentine (Marˇenka) with young people from Immanuel College, Bradford and Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, ahead of the schools’ performance of The Bartered Bride at Leeds Grand Theatre, October 2014
People
Swanhunter, an Opera North / The Wrong Crowd co-production, 2015
At Opera North’s core are its people – its full-time, permanent Chorus and Orchestra, its technicians and its administrators. It also engages an extraordinary range of guest artists and creative talents from around the world, commissions exciting contemporary art-makers to create new work, and forges artistic partnerships with organisations large and small. ‘There have been numerous events commissioned to commemorate the centenary of World War One but few will be as affecting as […] reinterpreting traditional music for contemporary ears.’ Susan Darlington, Yorkshire Evening Post on A Time and Place
75
Number of guest artists presented by Opera North in the Howard Assembly Room
‘This family opera, new in 2009 with a libretto by Alasdair Middleton, is enjoying a new staging with ingenious theatrical economy by Opera North and The Wrong Crowd, at the Linbury Studio then on tour. Featuring the legendary Finnish hero Lemminkäinen from the that also inspired Sibelius, Dove and Middleton tell a simple story with enough blood, gore and mystery to hold a young-and-old audience captive.’ Fiona Maddocks, The Observer on Swanhunter
Top: A Time and Place: Sam Lee with Becky Unthank and Rachel Unthank, September 2014. A Time and Place, part of the Imperial War Museum’s Centenary Partnership Programme, was co-produced by the Barbican, sounduk and Opera North Bottom: I am yours, yours am I at Latitude Festival, July 2015. Opera North Projects also took The Devil’s Jukebox to Wilderness Festival in August 2015 and through its close collaborative partnership with SAA-uk brings the finest South Asian musicians to Leeds
Partnerships No other UK opera company achieves the range and reach of Opera North. From its base in Leeds, its impact and influence extends throughout the North to the rest of the country and beyond. All this is made possible by a range of powerful partnerships, with individual supporters, trusts and foundations, and organisations in the arts, business, education and social sectors. Opera North and Leeds City Council
Councillor Judith Blake, Leader, Leeds City Council: ‘Since its very inception more than 35 years ago, Opera North’s partnership with Leeds has been a potent symbol of the city’s vision and ambition. Indeed, Leeds is the only city in England outside London to be home to a national opera company, putting us on a par with leading European cities. The creativity generated by our partnership extends far beyond Opera North’s internationally-acclaimed work on the operatic stage: it also provides the city with a resident symphony orchestra, the Orchestra of Opera North, and a range of truly transformative educational activities in our communities, such as the remarkable In Harmony project in Belle Isle.’
30
Opera North and Arts Council England Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England: ‘Opera North is one of the great cultural assets, not just of Leeds and Yorkshire, but of the whole nation. The range of its activities encompasses its excellent and enterprising work on the main stage, symphonic concerts by the Orchestra of Opera North - one of the UK’s most versatile ensembles - a diverse and lively programme in the Howard Assembly Room in Leeds, and an inspirational education department. This is allied to impressive schemes which aim to make the Company’s work available to the broadest possible audience.’
number of venues at which Opera North appeared between September 2014 and July 2015
Opera North and Hull UK City of Culture 2017 Martin Green, Chief Executive: ‘Opera North has a great history of performing in the city of Hull and engaging widely with its residents. What Opera North has done so well over the years is to make opera accessible to enormous numbers of people, whether as audiences or participants. We’re looking not only to continue this work but also to extend it up to 2017 and beyond. The talent within Opera North’s Orchestra, Chorus and production teams means that there will also be opportunities to create unique and extraordinary projects in the city.’
DARE: Opera North and University of Leeds Gemma Lee, Pettman DARE Scholar: Pianist Gemma Lee, who was brought up in Auckland, was awarded the first Pettman DARE Scholarship in Music Education in January 2015. Pettman DARE Scholarships, which are made possible through the generosity of Professor Barrie and Mrs Maureen Pettman, provide early career professionals the opportunity to undertake an intensive year of practice-led research. ‘Working at Opera North has reassured me that music education shouldn’t be restricted to a certain age group or particular geographical area. Opera North Education’s various community residency projects reflect the Company’s aim of reaching out right across the North of England, and this idea of making music more accessible to the wider public can definitely be transferable back home in New Zealand. The Opera North experience has paved the way for whatever the future has in store for me. I would love to be involved in a music organisation where my performance background could be transferred into a management role.’
Opera North and Land Securities David Maddison, General Manager, Trinity Leeds: ‘Land Securities is proud to be a founding member of Opera North’s Business Partners initiative, building on our long term sponsorship of the Company’s incredible community project, In Harmony, at Windmill Primary School in Belle Isle. In Harmony is an incredible example of how Opera North uses it world-class artists to inspire children and young people and transform communities in our region.’ Top: Gemma Lee, Pettman DARE Scholar in Music Education Left: Members of the Orchestra of Opera North Brian Kingsley (tuba), Christian Jones (bass trombone), Robert Burtenshaw (trombone), Blair Sinclair (principal trombone), Murray Greig (principal trumpet), and Michael Woodhead (trumpet) at an event to celebrate the Opera North Business Partners scheme on the Yorkshire Building Society roof terrace, July 2015 Far left: Martin Green, Chief Executive, Hull City of Culture 2017 with Richard Mantle, General Director, Opera North
Acknowledgements
Accounts The financial year 2014/15 has been a period of consolidation in the context of ongoing economic austerity, which nevertheless ended with the Company achieving a modest surplus. Mindful of the requirement to work within rigorous budgets, expenditure across all areas of the Company’s operation has been kept under constant pressure. At the same time Opera North remains committed to the intrinsic value of maintaining a permanent core company of skilled and talented artists, technicians and administrators in the north of England, which brings with it a concomitant financial responsibility. Income from Box Office receipts and from sponsorship and fundraising increased over the period, both in absolute terms and as a proportion of the Company’s overall income. Annual contributed income was just short of £1.9 million, a commendable achievement in the current climate, and a tribute to the generosity and vision of our
Opera North gratefully acknowledges the support of all the organisations and individuals who generously support the Company’s work.
many supporters, whether they be individual donors, trusts and foundations, or corporate partners. Although we continue to make strenuous efforts to increase selfgenerated income, our dependence on investment from our public funders, namely Arts Council England and Leeds City Council, remains significant. The continuing support of ACE and LCC is an act of faith in the range and quality of Opera North’s work across all strands of the organization – main stage opera, orchestral concerts, projects and education – and the Company’s unique contribution to the social and economic fabric of Leeds and the North.
The Future Fund The Patron’s Initiative Associates of Opera North Friends of Opera North Opera North Fund The Ring Fellowship 2016 Ring Circle
Corporate Members
In September 2014, the Chancellor of Exchequer introduced a scheme to enable producing theatre companies to claim tax relief on production costs. Opera North warmly welcomes the Theatre Tax Relief scheme, a progressive initiative which enables the Company to invest in new productions and further develop its repertoire going forward.
Business Partners
Trusts & Foundations
Arts Council England grant Arts Council England In Harmony grant Leeds City Council grant Box office & related income Sponsorship & fundraising Production/ rental income Education / Projects / Howard Assembly Room
Total expenditure
£’000 9,671
61%
225 710 2,767 1,879 326 278
1.5% 4.5% 17.5% 11.75% 2% 1.75%
15,856
Staff costs Overhead costs Opera production & performance costs Education and Projects costs Orchestral concerts costs Marketing costs
Corporate Sponsor
Corporate Members
Year to 31 March 2015
Total income
Principal Partner
Addleshaw Goddard AQL Arup Baker Tilly Bartlett Group Blacks Solicitors Bond Dickinson Brewin Dolphin Danbrit Holdings Limited Deloitte Dermalogica DLA Piper Ellis Patents Ltd Emerald Group Publishing
Evans Property Group EY Hainsworth Hammerson plc HSBC James Hare Ltd KPMG Land Securities Leeds Building Society Leeds City Council MAC Maestro! Tour Management Mills & Reeve NJ Geddes Private Jewellery Concierge
Nova Studios Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital One Medical Group Skipton Building Society Target Live Taste Cuisine TheBusinessDesk Town Centre Securities Towry Limited William Jackson Food Group Wykeland Ltd Yorkshire Building Society Yorkshire Water
Major Supporter
£’000 7,320 935 5,640 966 329 594
15,784
46.5% 6% 35.75% 6% 2% 3.75%
A&S Burton 1960 Charitable Trust The Holbeck Charitable Trust
Sir John Fisher Foundation
The Hobson Charity Limited
The Whitaker Charitable Trust
Charles Brotherton Trust The Calmcott Trust The Carntyne Trust Carr-Ellison Charitable Trust Fund City Health Care Partnership Foundation The Kenneth Hargreaves Charitable Trust
The Hedley Denton Charitable Trust The Idlewild Trust Sir James Knott Trust The Linden Charitable Trust Sir George Martin Trust Wade’s Charity
The Charles and Elsie Sykes Trust
Opera North 2015 – 2016 KISS ME, KATE Cole Porter
L’ELISIR D’AMORE Gaetano Donizetti
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE Gioachino Rossini ˚ JENUFA Leoš Janácˇek
PLEASURE Mark Simpson
ANDREA CHÉNIER Umberto Giordano
DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN Richard Wagner
INTO THE WOODS Stephen Sondheim
COSÌ FAN TUTTE Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Photographic Credits Opera North Limited Grand Theatre 46 New Briggate Leeds LS1 6NU UK (Registered Office) Tel +44 (0) 113 243 9999 Fax +44 (0) 113 244 0418 info@operanorth.co.uk Registered Charity No. 511726 © Opera North 2015
Tom Arber (La traviata, covers; I am yours, yours am I, pp2-3; Christmas Twilight, p4; The Marriage of Figaro Inside Opera, p6; The Bartered Bride schools performance, p7); Clive Barda (The Marriage of Figaro, p5); Darren Casey (Opera North Singing School, p9; Martin Green and Richard Mantle, p12); Bill Cooper (Gianni Schicchi, p4); Richard Davenport (Swanhunter, p10); Victor Frankowski (Latitude, p11); Simon Godley (Ravi Coltrane, p5); Tristram Kenton (The Coronation of Poppea, p4); Simon Marshall (The Selfish Giant; In Harmony masterclass, p8); Sarah Mason (Sam Lee with Becky Unthank and Rachel Unthank, p11); Danny Payne (Arve Henriksen, p4); Jonny Walton (Gemma Lee, p13); Allan Wilkinson (Bombino, p5); Robert Workman (The Flying Dutchman, p5).
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