NEWS
A selection of coverage of the launch of the UK Opera Association.
UKOA WELCOMES INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND
Reacting to the release of Dame Margaret Hodge’s Independent Review of Arts Council England, Thangam Debbonaire, Chief Executive, said:
UKOA welcomes the report by Baroness Margaret Hodge of her review of Arts Council England (ACE). Baroness Hodge has consulted arts organisations across the country extensively and her report reflects the current long term funding challenges faced by all arts organisations.
I am pleased that Baroness Hodge has highlighted the impacts of decisions affecting opera. These have presented significant challenges to the ability of this multi-faceted art-form to reach a wide range of audiences across the UK and to offer career opportunities to talented people in the varied creative professions that are involved in making opera. The operatic work created in the UK is world-class, with performance, education, health, and community work of exceptional standards and reach.
Opera companies want to be able to bring the joy, jobs and benefits for audiences and participants across the UK for years to come. This report provides an important basis for the partnership work between companies, donors and funders, audiences and government which will enable that to happen.
I look forward to reading the government’s response in the New Year and to working with ACE and partners across the sector over the months ahead.
THANGAM DEBBONAIRE TO HEAD NEW OPERA SECTOR BODY
A new trade body representing the UK’s opera sector - the UK Opera Association (UKOA) - launches today, bringing together an initial group of 20 opera companies to strengthen the future of opera and ensure the art form continues to thrive across the country.
The founding companies are Birmingham Opera Company, British Youth Opera, Buxton International Festival, English National Opera, English Touring Opera, Garsington Opera, The Grange Festival, Glyndebourne, Longborough Festival Opera, National Opera Studio, Opera Europa, Opera North, Opera Rara, OperaUpClose, Pegasus Opera Company, Royal Ballet & Opera, Scottish Opera, Streetwise Opera, Tête à Tête and Welsh National Opera, covering a range of scales, ways of working and geographical reach.
UKOA will act as the collective voice for opera in the UK, advocating for the sector, championing artistic excellence and innovation, and promoting opera’s significant contribution to national life - from enriching communities and cultural identity to supporting economic growth and developing creative and technical skills. By uniting the sector, UKOA aims to ensure opera continues to evolve, reach wider audiences, and play a meaningful role in the UK’s cultural and economic landscape.
In a significant appointment, Thangam Debbonaire, former Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and a trained classical musician, has been named as the organisation’s inaugural Chief Executive (CEO). She is joined by Bob Willard Watts, a cultural leader with more than 15 years’ experience in the arts and creative industries, who takes on the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Thangam Debbonaire, CEO, UK Opera Association said:
“It’s an honour to be asked to serve the UK’s wonderful opera sector as the CEO of the newly launched UK Opera Association. Opera as an art form is at such an exciting time and there is such strength in the diversity of work, approaches, settings and people involved – we have a great story to tell. This story is one which needs to be heard more widely if we are to make sure opera sustains and develops into the future.
I’m delighted to bring my professional background in music and my experience in policy-making and politics to serve this cause – as well as my deep and lifelong connections to opera in particular. I look forward to developing relationships, being an advocate and champion for opera wherever it is needed and assisting the sector to demonstrate as widely as possible the value it brings to arts, culture and our national life.”
Bob Willard Watts, COO, UK Opera Association said:
“I’m delighted to be appointed COO of the UK Opera Association. Having worked in opera at many different scales, I know the impact that this wonderful art form can have.
The launch of UKOA marks an important step forward for the opera sector. I look forward to working with the CEO, Board and wider sector to establish the association, and foster the collaboration that will allow the UK's diverse opera sector to speak with a collective, powerful voice.”
UKOA will:
● Be the collective voice for the full breadth of the UK opera sector, from pop-up performances to national companies
● Promote the UK’s extraordinary operatic talent and champion continued artistic excellence and innovation
● Celebrate opera’s contribution to the UK’s cultural and economic life by enriching communities and developing creative and technical skills and occupations
● Advocate for policies and investment that support creative ambition, a strong and stable workforce and audience growth
● Promote diversity, accessibility and sustainability across the sector.
UKOA membership is open to opera companies and organisations across the UK, with fees set in proportion to turnover.
The founding companies of UKOA are grateful to the Arts Council England for a grant of £25,000 towards set up and initial running costs, before membership fees become payable in early 2026.