The partnership will see ENO and Greater Manchester work together on plans to bring the company's globally renowned cultural offer to a main base in the city-region by 2029.
The ENO ran a rigorous assessment process to decide on their new city base, and the company was excited by the close strategic alignment of Greater Manchester's values and vision with its own, the potential opportunities to collaborate with the region's vibrant arts ecology, and the chance to inspire and create work with and for new audiences and communities in Greater Manchester.
This announcement follows the agreement reached with Arts Council England in July in which £24million was awarded to ENO to enable the organisation to develop an artistic programme in a new base outside of London during the 2024-26 period. Following a transition to this new business model over the next two years, ENO will be firmly established within Greater Manchester by 2029, delivering performances, wellbeing and learning activity with multiple partners and venues across the city-region, whilst continuing its substantial opera season every year at its London home, the London Coliseum.
Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said:
“This announcement is the culmination of months of hard work by the ENO. ENO's new base is good news for the people of Greater Manchester. It means excellent opera performances for new audiences and new ways for young people here to experience and participate in opera. It will also bring new opportunities for creative and technical professionals in Greater Manchester to partner with a world-class organisation making innovative work.”