Issue 5: ENO Breathe Participants campaigning for the English National Opera

11th January 2023

As many of you know, on Friday 4 November, Arts Council England announced the removal of ENO’s NPO (National Portfolio Organisation) status and consequent funding cut. Since then, the ENO has launched a campaign called #LoveENO.

We are very grateful to so many of you for having signed the petition launched by Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, CBE. Some of you have also kindly agreed to share your support in short vox pops when you came to visit the London Coliseum recently.

The campaign has now reached Westminster and some of the ENO Breathe participants have been speaking to parliamentarians. There have been debates in Westminster Hall, the House of Commons and two debates in the House of Lords. In all of these debates, parliamentarians from all the main parties have spoken against Arts Council England’s decision and championed the wide-reaching work of ENO and its successes including ENO Breathe.

We have also been championing the work of ENO Breathe as part of the campaign with a meeting in Portcullis House and a drop-in session in the Committee Room with participants attending. Thanks to everyone’s hard work, we have galvanised cross party support in both the Commons and the Lords. Discussions are now taking place with Arts Council England.

A huge thank you to Ali, Sharon and Umut for joining ENO staff and chorus in Parliament! 

A group photo of ENO chorus members, with ENO Breathe participants and steering committee members Umut and Ali. View 3 images A group photo of ENO chorus members, with ENO Breathe participants and steering committee members Umut and Ali. A group photo of ENO chorus members, with ENO Breathe participants and steering committee members Umut and Ali.

 

Transcripts and Links to some of these debates can be found here:

House of Commons – Westminster Hall – 22nd November: Supporting UK Artists and Culture – Hansard – UK Parliament

House of Commons, 5th December Bob Neill Adjournment: Performing Arts: English National Opera – Hansard – UK Parliament

DCMS Select Committee, 8th December: https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/12408/pdf/ – Video: Parliamentlive.tv – Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee 

House of Lords Arts Funding, 8th December: Arts and Creative Industries Strategy – Hansard – UK Parliament

House of Lords Arts Funding and regional distribution, 15th December 2022: Arts Council England: Regional Distribution of Funding – Hansard – UK Parliament