Tuesday 06 May 2008 @ 16:54
Arts Council England
Arts Council England
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Opera North artistic success set to continue following additional investment from Arts Council England
Arts Council England today announced an additional package of £3.5 million of Lottery funding for Opera North.
The award is an extension of a previous Lottery grant, which helped to build a new home for Opera North adjacent to a substantially upgraded and refurbished Grand Theatre in Leeds.
The additional funds will support Opera North’s enhanced capacity and needs related to the building programme and enable the company to build on its award-winning touring work and to develop a substantial programme of activity in its new home in Leeds and further afield.
Richard Mantle, General Director of Opera North, said:
“The whole Company and all our current and future audiences will be delighted that Arts Council England has extended its Lottery funding for Opera North. Through this timely additional grant the company is now in a position to ensure that we can continue to invest in innovative, high quality work and artistic development, and, at the same time, sustain a touring programme in the North.
“Everyone can now look forward to exciting new artistic opportunities. It is a real testament to our work and reputation that the Arts Council has sought to support us in this way. A brilliant response to the needs of the company.”
In addition to the newly acquired rehearsal home for the opera company, the restored Assembly Room will become the rehearsal base for its Orchestra as well as an exciting performing and workshop venue for Opera North Education and Opera North Projects. The Assembly Room will be able to accommodate smaller scale performances for an audience of up to 350.
Andy Carver, Regional Executive Director for Arts Council England, Yorkshire said:
“We are delighted to be able to continue to invest in Opera North’s progress and artistic achievement. Our additional investment reflects the respect that Opera North’s artistic work currently enjoys, nationally, regionally and locally. We want to ensure maximum benefit from our investment in the company by enabling them to be innovative, to take artistic risks and to go on to even greater success.”
Opera North’s recent successes include its production of Britten’s Peter Grimes which won the South Bank Show Award for Opera, the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Opera and Music Theatre and the TMA Award for Achievement in Opera. It also performed the world premiere of Jonathan Dove’s new opera The Adventures of Pinocchio, collaborated with the Royal Shakespeare Company on the its Complete Works Festival, and has set up DARE, an academic and artistic partnership with the University of Leeds.
Arts Council England has already committed £16.5m Lottery funds for the development of Opera North’s opera centre and the substantial upgrading and refurbishment of the adjacent Grand Theatre in Leeds. The total value of the project is approximately £32 million of which almost £6 million has been raised from the private sector by the opera company, as well as significant contributions from Leeds City Council, Heritage Lottery Fund and Yorkshire Forward.
For more information about Opera North contact:
Richard Ashton, acting Press & PR Manager, Opera North
Tel. 0113 2433526 or email richard.ashton@operanorth.co.uk
www.operanorth.co.uk
For more information about Arts Council England contact:
Louise Wylie, Director of Media Relations, Arts Council England
Tel: 020 7973 5528 / 07912 998 955 or email louise.wylie@artscouncil.org.uk
Tamsin Curror, Communications Officer, Arts Council England, Yorkshire
Tel: 01924 486238 or email tamsin.curror@artscouncil.org.uk
www.artscouncil.org.uk
Notes for editors:
Arts Council England works to get great art to more people. We develop and promote the arts across England, acting as an independent body at arm’s length from government. Between 2008 and 2011, we will invest £1.6 billion of public money from government and the National Lottery in supporting the arts.
This is the bedrock of support for the arts in England. We believe that the arts have the power to change lives and communities, and to create opportunities for people throughout the country.
Arts Council England is investing in excess of £45 million of lottery funding in arts venues in Yorkshire. By 2011 there will be an exciting range of restored venues, including Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, Mind the Gap and Kala Sangam (Bradford), Barnsley Civic, The Art House in Wakefield, Dearne Playhouse (Goldthorpe) and Goole Arts Centre, along with iconic new buildings, such as the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield, Hull Truck Theatre, Northern Ballet Centre in Leeds and Doncaster New Performance Venue.
The award is an extension of a previous Lottery grant, which helped to build a new home for Opera North adjacent to a substantially upgraded and refurbished Grand Theatre in Leeds.
The additional funds will support Opera North’s enhanced capacity and needs related to the building programme and enable the company to build on its award-winning touring work and to develop a substantial programme of activity in its new home in Leeds and further afield.
Richard Mantle, General Director of Opera North, said:
“The whole Company and all our current and future audiences will be delighted that Arts Council England has extended its Lottery funding for Opera North. Through this timely additional grant the company is now in a position to ensure that we can continue to invest in innovative, high quality work and artistic development, and, at the same time, sustain a touring programme in the North.
“Everyone can now look forward to exciting new artistic opportunities. It is a real testament to our work and reputation that the Arts Council has sought to support us in this way. A brilliant response to the needs of the company.”
In addition to the newly acquired rehearsal home for the opera company, the restored Assembly Room will become the rehearsal base for its Orchestra as well as an exciting performing and workshop venue for Opera North Education and Opera North Projects. The Assembly Room will be able to accommodate smaller scale performances for an audience of up to 350.
Andy Carver, Regional Executive Director for Arts Council England, Yorkshire said:
“We are delighted to be able to continue to invest in Opera North’s progress and artistic achievement. Our additional investment reflects the respect that Opera North’s artistic work currently enjoys, nationally, regionally and locally. We want to ensure maximum benefit from our investment in the company by enabling them to be innovative, to take artistic risks and to go on to even greater success.”
Opera North’s recent successes include its production of Britten’s Peter Grimes which won the South Bank Show Award for Opera, the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Opera and Music Theatre and the TMA Award for Achievement in Opera. It also performed the world premiere of Jonathan Dove’s new opera The Adventures of Pinocchio, collaborated with the Royal Shakespeare Company on the its Complete Works Festival, and has set up DARE, an academic and artistic partnership with the University of Leeds.
Arts Council England has already committed £16.5m Lottery funds for the development of Opera North’s opera centre and the substantial upgrading and refurbishment of the adjacent Grand Theatre in Leeds. The total value of the project is approximately £32 million of which almost £6 million has been raised from the private sector by the opera company, as well as significant contributions from Leeds City Council, Heritage Lottery Fund and Yorkshire Forward.
For more information about Opera North contact:
Richard Ashton, acting Press & PR Manager, Opera North
Tel. 0113 2433526 or email richard.ashton@operanorth.co.uk
www.operanorth.co.uk
For more information about Arts Council England contact:
Louise Wylie, Director of Media Relations, Arts Council England
Tel: 020 7973 5528 / 07912 998 955 or email louise.wylie@artscouncil.org.uk
Tamsin Curror, Communications Officer, Arts Council England, Yorkshire
Tel: 01924 486238 or email tamsin.curror@artscouncil.org.uk
www.artscouncil.org.uk
Notes for editors:
Arts Council England works to get great art to more people. We develop and promote the arts across England, acting as an independent body at arm’s length from government. Between 2008 and 2011, we will invest £1.6 billion of public money from government and the National Lottery in supporting the arts.
This is the bedrock of support for the arts in England. We believe that the arts have the power to change lives and communities, and to create opportunities for people throughout the country.
Arts Council England is investing in excess of £45 million of lottery funding in arts venues in Yorkshire. By 2011 there will be an exciting range of restored venues, including Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, Mind the Gap and Kala Sangam (Bradford), Barnsley Civic, The Art House in Wakefield, Dearne Playhouse (Goldthorpe) and Goole Arts Centre, along with iconic new buildings, such as the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield, Hull Truck Theatre, Northern Ballet Centre in Leeds and Doncaster New Performance Venue.
