Opera North’s most recent dramatic concert staging, Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, has beaten off stiff competition to win the Opera category at the 2025 Sky Arts Awards.
Commenting on the production, the Sky Arts judging panel said:
“Its central themes of peace and unity resonated powerfully with contemporary audiences, making 19th-century opera feel urgently relevant. This production exemplifies artistic excellence and bold innovation in opera.”
Directed by PJ Harris, designed by Anna Reid and with Antony Hermus conducting an international cast, the production opened in April at St George’s Hall as part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture before touring across the north of England and to London.
Roland Wood as Simon Boccanegra, Sara Cortolezzis as Maria Boccanegra and Andrés Presno as Gabriele Adorno © James Glossop
A truly immersive experience for the audience, it saw the Chorus of Opera North taking to the balconies and lining the stalls to deliver the celebrated Council Chamber scene in thrilling ‘surround sound’. As with previous concert stagings, the Orchestra of Opera North was also placed centre-stage adding to the visual and aural spectacle.
Accepting the award from soprano Soraya Mafi, who was first introduced to opera by Opera North, Laura Canning, General Director, Opera North celebrated the enduring power of the art-form:
“The breadth of the nominees tonight shows you the health and strength of opera in the UK today. Hearing Soraya sing, I think, lets us know that we’re in great hands for the future. The first 400 years was pretty great, but the next 400 is going to be even better.”
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The company is hoping for further success in the coming months, with Simon Boccanegra also up for the Achievement in Opera Award at the 2025 UK Theatre Awards, and Kurt Weill’s Love Life nominated in the new Musical Theatre category of the International Opera Awards. The winners will be announced in November.
