What is ENO Studio Live?

ENO Studio Live allows us to put on opera productions in smaller, intimate spaces. It gives members of the ENO Chorus principal roles; and showcases some exceptional young talent.

What can I see?

As part of ENO Studio Live, we will be putting on performances of Judith Weir’s Blond Eckbert and Jonathan Dove’s The Day After.

First performed in 1994 by English National Opera, Blond Eckbert follows the titular protagonist and his wife Berthe, as they find themselves drawn into the events of their past. Taking place in 1980s Glasgow, this noir fairytale unravels the pair’s relationship, Berthe’s past and finally Eckbert himself, in a haunting retelling of Ludwig Tieck’s supernatural tale.

Following the opera’s success in 2017, regular ENO staff director Jamie Manton accompanies this production of The Day After to Alexandra Palace in May 2020. Shaping the tale of Phaeton’s downfall (from Greek myth) as the reasoning behind the world’s downfall, The Day After is a parable with a post-apocalyptic twist.

Where can you see ENO Studio Live productions?

English National Opera began ENO Studio Live in 2017, bringing world class opera into an intimate studio environment.

ENO Studio Live’s aim is to showcase the company’s exceptional emerging and in-house talent, from members of ENO’s award winning Chorus and Orchestra to our Staff Directors, Harewood Artists and Music Staff.

Alongside this, the initiative takes the company to different stages from our usual stage at London Coliseum: namely Alexandra Palace and Lilian Baylis House.

Alexandra Palace is an iconic London Landmark, host to concerts, events and exhibitions, situated within 196 acres of parkland. Our relationship began in 2019, staging Britten’s Paul Bunyan in Alexandra Palace’s theatre.

Lilian Baylis House is formerly the site of the West Hampstead Town Hall, and named after ENO’s founder, Lilian Baylis. The hall was once the Decca Recording Studios and hosted many classical recording sessions, alongside albums by Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie.