The company, which had a shortlist of five cities, had been told funding was dependent on leaving London
English National Opera has chosen Greater Manchester as its future home, a year after funders said it must move its base out of London.
The company had a shortlist of five places where it was considering setting up a new headquarters, with Manchester, the biggest city in Europe without a resident opera company, always the favourite. The other cities were Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and Nottingham.
The announcement of the move was made after a year after Arts Council England (ACE) removed ENO from the national portfolio and said future funding would be dependent on moving its base outside London.
It was a divisive decision, condemned as “cultural vandalism” by Melvyn Bragg and an “ill-thought-through idea” by Richard Mantle, then general manager of Leeds-based Opera North.
ACE later agreed a partial funding reprieve and gave ENO until 2029 to relocate.
On Tuesday ENO said it had agreed a partnership with the Greater Manchester city-region.
The…
