Sarah Connolly: There are no friends of opera at the Arts Council

The leading English mezzo-soprano has a blast at the funding authority in the Daily Telegraph:

‘I get the sense that there are no real friends of opera on the Arts Council. The way they have behaved is atrocious.

‘You need grand opera. It’s not just about singing in office blocks. And London, the most culturally extraordinary city in Europe, needs two opera houses, one of which performs in English.

‘Without the ENO, there is nowhere for emerging British singers to go. Young singers don’t tend to jump from the Glyndebourne chorus to the Royal Opera House, for instance. The ENO provides a vital platform, where English singers learn to become international stars.’

Read on here.