Opera North was established in 1977 as English National Opera North, as an offshoot of English National Opera, with the specific intention of delivering high-quality opera to the northern areas of England which, up to that point, had had no permanently established opera company. The company gave its first performance, of Saint-Saëns's Samson and Delilah, on 15 November 1978. The founding music director of the company was David Lloyd-Jones, who held the post until 1990. In 1981, the company's name was changed to Opera North, and the official ties with English National Opera ceased to exist.
Paul Daniel became the company's second music director, serving in the post from 1990 to 1997. With general administrators Nicholas Payne and, later, Ian Ritchie and Richard Mantle, the company continued to bring operatic novelties, as well as a wide selection of familiar works, to its audience in the North of England and further afield. Following Daniel's departure, Elgar Howarth held the temporary post of music advisor, until Steven Sloane became music director in 1999.
Richard Farnes became music director in 2004. Achievements during his tenure included the company's first staging of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, over a span of 4 years.[1][2][3][4][5] Farnes stood down as music director after the 2015–2016 season.[6]
In October 2015, Aleksandar Marković made his first appearance as guest conductor with the company.[7] In February 2016, the company announced the appointment of Marković as its next music director, effective with the 2016–2017 season.[8] His first production as music director of the company was in September 2016, with Der Rosenkavalier.[9] On 18 April 2017, Opera North announced that Marković had resigned as the company's music director, with his contract formally to terminate in July 2017, but where he is not to appear with the company for the remainder of the 2016–2017 season.[10]
In June 2019, Opera North announced the appointments of Garry Walker as its next music director, and of Antony Hermus as its new principal guest conductor. Walker became music director effective with the 2020–2021 season.[11]
In October 2021, Opera North relocated their headquarters to the Howard Opera Centre, following an £18 million redevelopment. [12]
The previous general director of Opera North was Sir Richard Mantle, who held the post since 1994 and retired in December 2023. He is succeeded by Opera North's current general director and CEO, Laura Canning. the first woman named to the post, effective December 2023.[13]
Characteristics of the company
Repertory
As well as presenting the bread-and-butter operas of the standard repertory, the company has performed a number of operas that are rarely seen in Britain. Examples include:
At the request of the Bridlington primary school whose 300 children performed in the opera, the company asked for the removal of an explicit reference to a gay character's sexuality from one of the scenes. Hall initially refused, and the opera was withdrawn.[14] However, following negotiations the matter was resolved when the character's contentious line "Of course I'm queer" was changed to "Of course I'm gay".[15]
Opera North has worked extensively with electronic composer Mira Calix, commissioning Dead Wedding (for the Manchester International Festival 2007) Onibus (2008) and the installation Chorus (2009) for the opening of the Howard Assembly Room with visual artist UVA.
