Review 2016
Welcome The past twelve months have been a momentous period in the life of Opera North. Perhaps the most ambitious project in the Company’s history, our unique concert staging of Wagner’s Ring cycle, culminated in six complete cycles at venues up and down the country, from London to Gateshead, in the summer of 2016. Critical and audience acclaim greeted what proved to be the crowning achievement of Richard Farnes’ tenure as the Company’s Music Director, as he stepped down after twelve illustrious years at the helm.
Stability and sustainability are provided by the crucial investment of Arts Council England and Leeds City Council and the generosity of our corporate and individual supporters. We strive to return the best possible value on the creative and financial capital invested in the Company; and as we enter a new era in the life of Opera North with our new Music Director Aleksandar Markovic, we look forward to the challenges ahead with renewed excitement and confidence.
The Opera North Ring encompassed every strand of Opera North’s work, with an array of special events and education projects that complemented the cycle, engaging people of all ages, experiences and backgrounds in Wagner’s monumental music drama, which seemed especially replete with contemporary resonance this year. Whilst the Ring is an exemplar of the Company’s imaginative thinking and determined ambition to create work of international stature made in the North, it was by no means an isolated event. The rest of our main stage work embraced works as diverse as Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate and Giordano’s Andrea Chénier in acclaimed new productions, while Lesley Garrett returned to the Company in Mark Simpson and Melanie Challenger’s new chamber opera Pleasure, which was co-commissioned and co-produced by Opera North, Aldeburgh Music and The Royal Opera.
Paul Lee
We continue to nurture partnerships in the arts, education, business and community sectors, such as the ground-breaking DARE partnership with the University of Leeds, and our efforts to broaden and deepen our relationship with audiences and the wider community continue to flourish and expand through schemes such as our Community Engagement project funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
Cover: Der Ring des Nibelungen, 2016 These pages: Mark Simpson and Melanie Challenger’s Pleasure, Howard Assembly Room, 2016
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Richard Mantle General Director
Opera North - Creates and stages uncompromisingly adventurous opera, music and performance in collaboration with field-leading artists - 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
Patron HRH The Duke of Kent KG Founder George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood KBE President Keith Howard OBE General Director Richard Mantle OBE Music Director Aleksandar Markovic
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 Cllr. Jonathan Pryor Martin Vander Weyer Irving Warnett Development Board Ed Anderson (Chairman) Paula Dillon Michael Furse Howard Gatiss Francesca Horsfield Gerald Jennings Sir Andrew Lawson-Tancred Anthony Robards
Work ‘When the Company delivers performances as edge-of-the-seat thrilling as its new production of Giordano’s Andrea Chénier, it’s the best-value investment in the land for the taxpayer.’
‘This show is a success at every level: the singing, dancing, conducting, orchestra and staging are all first-class.’
Hugh Canning, Sunday Times on Andrea Chénier
David Mellor, Mail on Sunday on Kiss Me, Kate
Between September 2015 and August 2016, Opera North was responsible for 223 public performances in 27 different venues across the country. A year that began with Cole Porter and concluded with Wagner’s Ring demonstrated the Company’s continuing ambition to offer the broadest range of experiences to audiences of all tastes.
223
Public performances presented by Opera North
‘Commissioned by Opera North and performed at St. George’s as a part of the New Music weekend and the ongoing Filmic programme, Arve Henriksen and Anastasia Isachsen have combined both music and film in a way that transforms each other, altering the context of both by having them presented together...’ Lee Callaway, Bristol Post, on Arve Henriksen’s Places of Worship at St. George’s Bristol
Audiences There were more than 100,000 attendances at Opera North performances during the course of the year. Community engagement deepened and developed thanks to an ongoing programme funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and membership of Opera North’s Under 30s scheme increased by 38% to over 3000. ‘Bravissimo! The Ring last week at the Lowry was phenomenal. Wish we could experience it all over again this week! Congratulations to everyone involved. The orchestra and singers were without exception superb. The lighting and effects intensified the experience. And what an incredibly rewarding finale for wonderful Richard Farnes, who enabled the musicians to reach right to the heart of the music. Thank you all so much.’ Janet Hitchen, via Facebook
‘Kiss Me, Kate last night @Opera_North was a triumph. Perfect cast of opera & music theatre singers and dancers.’ Poppy Holden via Twitter
‘People have been able to address their social isolation – if not completely, then partly. They have felt valued and felt they have been treated equally and with respect. This has supported them to feel better able to cope with some of their mental health difficulties, to feel less lonely, and to have the opportunity to develop a social life that they did not have prior to joining the theatre group and accessing opportunities with the Opera North Encore Scheme.’ Elizabeth Smith, Group Leader, Making Space
‘I thought the whole event was brilliant! As someone who has never been to an opera before I had no idea what to expect. The opera we saw was perfect for an opera virgin, very funny and entertaining! It was a great experience and I am sure I will now go to many more operas in the future.’ Alex Bignell on ‘Vintage, Vespas and Vino’, L’elisir d’amore Under 30s event, Nottingham
3,140
Menbers of Under 30s scheme
Left: Under 30s membership event Below: The One Who Loves and Lets Go, created and produced by Opera North Projects, at Latitude Festival, Suffolk, July 2016
Between September 2015 and August 2016 there were:
3,766
110,356
2,860
Total attendances nationwide of an Opera North show, concert, event
63
Guest artists presented by Opera North in the Howard Assembly Room
44
Free events provided by Opera North
Mentions in the press
Broadcast minutes
282,881
Unique visitors to the Opera North website
92
Groups and organisations who are now members of the Opera North Community Engagement project funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation
Communities Opera North opens up artistic experiences to people of all ages and backgrounds. It enriches lives through sustained engagement in some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country and reaches some 15,000 young people and adults each year through its extensive education programmes.
15,000
Young people and adults reached by Opera North Education in the North of England
Top left: Gold, Gods and Giants: this interactive music and storytelling workshop explored the stories and music of Wagner’s Ring in a specially-made indoor tent in Leeds, Salford and Gateshead in the summer of 2016 Bottom left: Big Sing, Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, June 2016 Right: In Harmony Year End Concert at Leeds Town Hall, 2015
In Harmony Opera North
Big Sing: Myths and Legends
In September 2015 In Harmony Opera North opened a second setting, at Low Road Primary School, enabling the programme to work with a total of 650 young people every week. In the same month came news that the original In Harmony setting – Windmill Primary School in Belle Isle, Leeds – had seen significant rises of up to 20% in its KS2 SATS results. The news sparked immediate public interest: a BBC Look North film broadcast about In Harmony Opera North was embedded on BBC Look North’s Facebook page and has received over two million views.
Opera North’s varied programme of activities designed specifically for schools reaches out to primary and secondary schools in urban and rural areas. One of several projects inspired by the Opera North Ring, 2016’s Big Sing – Myths and Legends – reached more than 1000 people, and culminated in performances with the Chorus of Opera North in six locations across the North: Hexham, Hull, Doncaster, Leeds, Lincoln and Nottingham.
‘The In Harmony programme at Low Road and Windmill Music Federation continues to go from strength to strength. I am delighted with these results. We have observed many significant effects on the pupils’ skills at Windmill such as teamwork, co-operation, social etiquette and self-confidence. It is my belief that the cultural enrichment provided by the In Harmony programme has had a direct impact on the positive learning culture and subsequently contributed towards improved results.’ Andy Gamble, Executive Headteacher, Windmill Music Federation
‘We learnt some really fun, lively songs... my parents said they were really proud.’ Pupil, Year 4
‘We really saw the children grow through their rehearsals and performance and they will never forget the sounds of your Chorus... You gave them something priceless: they all grew in stature, confidence and opened their eyes to new feelings and an enjoyment of music in a way they could never have imagined.’ Doncaster Music Education Hub
People Opera North’s artistically ambitious, nationally acclaimed work is founded on the Company’s bedrock – its full-time, permanent Orchestra and Chorus and its extended family of guest artists. Whether they’re at an early stage of their career or already well-established, we help our people develop and challenge themselves in a creative, nurturing environment.
Left: The Chorus of Opera North in Into the Woods, West Yorkshire Playhouse, June 2016 Below: Richard Farnes, Opera North’s Music Director 2004 – 2016, conducts Das Rheingold, April 2016
Above: Timothy Nelson (Nathan) and Lesley Garrett (Val) in rehearsal for Pleasure, a co-commission and co-production between Opera North, Aldeburgh Music and The Royal Opera, March 2016
‘But it is Lesley Garrett, in the least glamorous role of her career, who really commands the attention. “I walk the streets of the city, a middle-aged woman who nobody sees,” she laments. The cognitive dissonance of a dowdy woman giving vent in such an expressive soprano establishes Simpson’s essential point that ordinary people have opera-sized emotions too.’ Alfred Hickling, The Guardian, on Mark Simpson and Melanie Challenger’s Pleasure at the Howard Assembly Room
199
Singers and musicians in the Opera North Ring
‘...James Brining’s production, exuberantly designed by Colin Richmond and expertly conducted by Jim Holmes, is terrific... Its cast is so good that I wish I had space to list every member by name. Instead, just let me take my hat sweepingly off and hail the brilliant team that is Opera North’s Chorus.’ Rupert Christiansen, Daily Telegraph, on Into the Woods at West Yorkshire Playhouse
‘...these semi-staged performances demonstrated once again who the real heroes of Opera North’s cycle are: Richard Farnes – the Company’s outgoing music director – and his terrific orchestra... The conductor’s control and pacing were unerring, his ear for balance impeccable and the playing of the orchestra – the strings soaring, the wind incisive, the brass rounded and imposing – consummate.’ Hugo Shirley, Financial Times, on the Ring at the Royal Festival Hall, London
Partnerships
Below: Mbongwana Star, Howard Assembly Room, June 2016; part of the Songlines Series, jointly programmed by Opera North Projects and Yorkshire Festival
Right: Batley Does Opera: a partnership between Opera North, Batley Business Association and the Arts Council England Creative People and Places Initiative, March 2016
Opera North’s impact and influence extends far and wide, at home and abroad. Crucial to the Company’s range and reach are its many powerful partnerships, with organisations in the arts, business, education and social sectors, and with individual supporters, trusts and foundations. Opera North and Leeds City Council
Councillor Judith Blake, Leader, Leeds City Council: ‘Opera North is the only major opera company in England that is hosted outside London and plays an imperative role in developing Leeds as a European city. Having a major arts organisation like the company based in Leeds has a significant impact not only on our city region’s cultural sector, but on the young people of our city. Opera North strives to support Leeds through various initiatives and programmes, and In Harmony Opera North is the only programme of its kind nationally to be delivered by an opera company. The city is proud to work with partners such as Opera North who support the city and its communities.’
27
Opera North and Sage Gateshead
DARE: Opera North and University of Leeds
Opera North and Yorkshire Festival
Abigail Pogson, Managing Director, Sage Gateshead: ‘The Ring cycle in summer 2016 was a tremendous success and we were proud to have co-commissioned the productions over several years and to host the final cycle and live BBC Radio 3 broadcast from Sage Gateshead. We were struck by how far people travelled to hear the cycle in Gateshead and by the strong sense of artistic journey between artists and audiences throughout the course of the week. The project was a high point in an eleven-year partnership between Opera North and Sage Gateshead, and we are proud to continue to collaborate as two national organisations based in the North of England.’
Sir Alan Langlands, Vice Chancellor, University of Leeds: ‘The first decade of the University’s DARE partnership with Opera North has been a great success, worthy of celebration. In 2016 hundreds of students and academics connected with the opera production process; we launched the first practice-based diploma in Music Education in the UK; and DARE Creative Labs brought artists and scientists together, creating new perspectives on learning and practice. Opera North is a very special partner, enhancing the University through collaborative research, personal development of our students and public engagement. The Company will of course be a key strategic partner in the Leeds Cultural Institute.’
Matt Burman, Artistic Director, Yorkshire Festival: ‘It was a delight to work with Opera North Projects and Songlines on such a fabulous, diverse and world-class series of performances at the Howard Assembly Room and as part of Yorkshire Festival 2016. Never has the sense of internationalism, collaboration and community present in the room and flowing between audiences and artists felt more vital. From dancing in the aisles at Mbongwana Star, to the charming and powerful lyrical poetry of Rokia Traoré, from the focused and atmospheric brilliance of Hauschka to the globally inspired and inspiring A Hawk and A Hacksaw and to Yorkshire’s very own and finest Eliza Carthy, Matt Bourne and Boss Caine – this project genuinely represents how together we can produce amazing programmes and experiences for Yorkshire.’
number of venues at which Opera North appeared between September 2015 and August 2016
Acknowledgements
Accounts Opera North continues to operate in a challenging financial environment; nonetheless, the financial year 2015/16 ended with the Company achieving a modest surplus. Expenditure across all areas of our activities has been kept under constant pressure and review. At the same time Opera North is 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.
Box Office receipts were stable over the period and income from sponsorship and fundraising totalled over £1.7 million, the Company continuing to benefit from the generosity and vision of our many supporters, whether they be trusts and foundations, corporate members, or individual donors, such as 150 members of the Ring Circle. The Theatre Tax Relief scheme, a progressive initiative introduced by Chancellor George Osborne in September 2014, made a significant contribution to the Company’s income for the first time in 2015/16.
Investment in a new Box Office system, operated by Opera North itself for the first time in the Company’s history,will facilitate improved customer service and a closer relationship with audiences going forward, and better equip us to capitalize on the excellent response with which our productions are regularly greeted nationally and locally.
Whilst we continue to make strenuous efforts to increase self-generated income, our dependence on investment from our public funders, namely Arts Council England (ACE) and Leeds City Council (LCC), remains substantial. 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.
Opera North gratefully acknowledges all the organisations and individuals who generously support the Company’s work. The Future Fund The Patrons’ Initiative Associates of Opera North Friends of Opera North Opera North Fund The Ring Fellowship 2016 Ring Circle
Corporate Members
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 Theatre Tax Credit
Total expenditure
£’000 10,386
59%
100 510 2,770 1,727 244 544
0.5% 3% 16% 10% 1.5% 3%
1,197
7%
17,478
Staff costs Overhead costs Opera production & performance costs Education and Projects costs Orchestral concerts costs Marketing costs
Corporate Sponsor
Media Partner
Corporate Members
Year to 31 March 2016
Total income
Principal Partner
Addleshaw Goddard AQL Arup Bartlett Group Blacks Solicitors Bond Dickinson Brewin Dolphin Danbrit Holdings Limited Deloitte Dermalogica DLA Piper Ellis Patents Ltd Emerald Group Publishing Evans Property Group
Hammerson plc James Hare Ltd KPMG Lawrence Fraser Brokers Leeds Building Society Leeds City Council Leeds Trinity University MAC Mills & Reeve Nova Studios Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital One Medical Group Pavilion Row Sagars
Skipton Building Society SquareCubed Target Live Taste Cuisine TheBusinessDesk Town Centre Securities Towry Limited Trinity Leeds Ward Hadaway William Jackson Food Group Wykeland Ltd Yorkshire Building Society Yorkshire Water
Major Supporter
£’000 7,662 1,053 6,564 942 301 667
17,189
44.5% 6% 38% 5.5% 2% 4%
The A&S Burton Charitable Trust Backstage Trust Sir John Fisher Foundation J Paul Getty Jnr General Charitable Trust
The Hobson Charity The Holbeck Charitable Trust Sir James Knott Trust The Charles and Elsie Sykes Trust
Charles Brotherton Trust The Carntyne Trust Carr-Ellison Charitable Trust Fund City Health Care Partnership Foundation The John S Cohen Foundation
The Golsoncott Foundation The Kenneth Hargreaves Charitable Trust The Hedley Denton Charitable Trust The Idlewild Trust The Linden Charitable Trust
The Thompson Family Charitable Trust The Whitaker Charitable Trust
Opera North 2016 – 2017 DER ROSENKAVALIER Richard Strauss
THE SNOW MAIDEN Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
IL TABARRO Giacomo Puccini
HANSEL AND GRETEL Engelbert Humperdinck
SUOR ANGELICA Giacomo Puccini
CINDERELLA Gioachino Rossini
BILLY BUDD Benjamin Britten
TURANDOT Giacomo Puccini
Photographic Credits Tom Arber (Love for Sale, p5; Under 30s event, p7; Mbongwana Star, p13); Clive Barda (Der Ring des Nibelungen, covers; Richard Farnes, p11); Amy Charles (Gold, Gods and Giants, Big Sing, p8); Charlotte Graham (Batley Does Opera, p13); Manuel Harlan (Into the Woods, p10); Tristram Kenton (Così fan tutte, p5); Alastair Muir (Kiss Me, Kate, p5); Richard H Smith (Jenufa, p4); Rowland Thomas/Opera North (Rokia Traore, p4; The One Who Loves and Lets Go, Latitude, p5 & p7); Jonny Walton (In Harmony, p9); Robert Workman (Pleasure, pp2-3, p11; Andrea Chénier, p4).
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