Opera North is a national opera company based in Leeds, and is a leading UK arts organisation. Rooted in the North of England, international in outlook, we create extraordinary experiences, every day.

Our award-winning work tours to theatre stages and concert halls throughout the North and beyond, including to London and major international festivals, and we curate an eclectic artistic programme of gigs, concerts, spoken word and film in the Howard Assembly Room. Our aim is to make bold, innovative, ambitious work and share it in new ways.

Opera North believes opera and music is for everyone, and champions diversity in artists, repertoire and audiences. The Learning & Engagement team works with people of all ages to create extraordinary experiences in their lives through participative arts and family performance activity.

Opera North is grateful for the generous support of Arts Council England and Leeds City Council, sponsorship from the private sector, trusts and individuals, the Friends of Opera North, the Opera North Future Fund and the box office income from its audiences, which allows us to continue to mount our award-winning work.

Our purpose

Creating extraordinary experiences every day, using music and opera to entertain, engage, challenge and inspire.

Our aims:

Extraordinary experiences

We will define what it means to be an opera company for the 21st century. Continually innovating across artforms, we will embrace the diversity of skills and artforms inherent in opera, to make bold and ambitious new work, shared in new ways.  Opera is a radical, all-encompassing artform, and we will keep that sense of energy and experimentation at the heart of our work as we explore different avenues in theatre, music, education and beyond.

For everyone

We create work for everyone and will champion diversity in artists, repertoire and audiences. Opera’s power is built on the diversity of the artforms it combines.  We will challenge ourselves to ensure the artists and staff we train and work with, repertoire we commission and programme, and audiences or communities we engage are increasingly diverse.

Connect with communities

We work in communities with whom we make a deep, relevant and valuable connection. We are a company of the North with the scale, artistic resource and reputation to redefine our region economically, culturally and socially.  Across all our activity, from main stage to education, we will make tangible, real connections with individuals, community groups, schools and businesses.

Make an impact

We will advocate for the value of culture. We believe culture enriches society and empowers people of all backgrounds and ages. We have a significant contribution to make and will collaborate with our peers to demonstrate the impact and value of opera and the creative industries.

Shape the future

We must secure the future. We are on a journey of significant change, on which we will reinvigorate the impact and perception of opera’s relevance and variety, reaching new audiences in new ways and making a positive societal impact across our region and beyond.  We will reach more young people, fostering a diverse base of future audiences, singers and musicians.  To ensure financial security, we will become more entrepreneurial in seeking out earned income and public, corporate or philanthropic support.  We will evolve our business in response to a changing world, ensuring we have the resource and capacity to meet our ambitions.

Awards

The Ring at Leeds Town Hall (2016) © Clive Barda

Partners

Parents & Carers in Performing Arts

PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner supported by PPL

Culture Consortium Leeds

Culture Consortium Leeds is a network of cultural organisations. Our purpose is to increase collaboration and resilience and be a cohesive voice for the cultural sector in Leeds. Discover more, including how your organisation could become a member.

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