Opera

Lord Freyberg Excerpts

Tuesday 10th December 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Freyberg (CB)]

My Lords, I rise tonight to thank with enormous pleasure the noble Lord, Lord Murphy of Torfaen, for tabling this important and timely debate. As others have said, the UK has a large, important and rich ecosystem of over 100 opera producers, from community projects to world-class companies. At its heart are five major organisations: the Royal Opera House, Opera North, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera and Glyndebourne, which have been essential catalysts for opera’s success in Britain. However, as others have said tonight, this ecosystem now faces an existential threat.

Since 2015, our major opera companies have been severely impacted by real-terms funding cuts. The evidence is stark: Welsh National Opera has seen a 51% real-terms reduction in Arts Council funding, Glyndebourne’s funding has fallen by 63% in real terms and even the Royal Opera House has experienced a 32% real-terms cut. This has led to a devastating reduction in performances, touring, education, work and job opportunities, as others have said.

Let me illustrate the human cost. Welsh National Opera, which had previously provided the most extensive opera touring in England, has been forced to withdraw from venues and reduce its chorus. It faces a £2.7 million deficit this year, as others have said. Its total budget must shrink from £18.7 million to around £12 million by 2027-28, a reduction that threatens its very existence as a major opera company. As the noble Lord, Lord Thomas, has said, Welsh National Opera has been forced to reduce its chorus to just 20 members and is contemplating the loss of its full-time orchestra. It has already cut touring weeks in Bristol, Liverpool and Birmingham, creating financial stress on the venues it visits.

Opera North is now the only full-time opera orchestra outside the Royal Opera House. This is nothing short of astonishing for a nation of our cultural standing. Germany, by contrast, has 83 full-time state and regional opera companies.

For performers, singers, instrumentalists and technicians, there is less work and lower pay. As the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, has said, Brexit has compounded these challenges by effectively eliminating many European performance opportunities that British artists relied upon.

The consequences extend far beyond individual institutions. Opera companies are vital hubs in our cultural ecosystem. They train the next generation of singers, musicians and technical staff, they provide secure employment for over 3,800 workers and they reach hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren through education programmes. When we diminish these companies, we damage the entire performing arts sector.

The impact on regional access is particularly concerning. With Glyndebourne forced to cancel touring and Welsh National Opera reducing its presence in cities like Bristol, Liverpool and Birmingham, we risk creating cultural deserts outside London. This directly contradicts Labour’s mission to deliver growth and opportunities across every nation and region.

So what steps should government now take? First, government and Arts Council England need to create a joined-up and well-informed strategic approach to long-term funding. Government and ACE need to recognise that opera companies operate on three to five-year planning cycles, and that short-term cuts and changes create waste and instability. Opera company managements no longer have any confidence that ACE can meet their needs or find a way forward that is not simply salami slicing. The companies would rather come up with their own solutions than be presented with unrealistic and badly considered policy ideas which are not based on research. This echoes much of what the noble Baroness, Lady Noakes, and the noble Viscount, Lord Chandos, have said this evening.

Secondly, as the noble Lord, Lord Aberdare, also said, we must strengthen music education in schools, which is the pipeline of future audiences and talent. Most schools have effectively abandoned music provision following sustained cuts and a lack of Ofsted oversight, but music education is not just about creating future singers. Research shows that children who study music perform better across all subjects.

Perhaps most powerfully, we should consider the example of the Kyiv Opera, which continues to perform, even as air raid sirens pierce the night. When asked why they persist under such danger, their artistic director declared, “What are we fighting for if not our culture?” In the midst of an existential struggle, Ukraine demonstrates that opera is a defiant and vital expression of human civilisation. Let us keep it that way, accessible to all, and not let it become available only to the rich in the south-east at high prices.

Opera in Britain faces a critical moment. Without decisive government action, we risk irreparable damage to one of our greatest cultural assets. The companies have shown that they can adapt and innovate. They have demonstrated their value to communities across the nation. They now need the Government to match their commitment with proper support.