ENO’s head of casting quits
OperaGarsington Opera has recruited Michelle Williams, Head of Casting at English National Opera for the past seven years, to be Director of Artistic Administration. She will succeed Laura Canning who has gone to Opera North as General Director.
Many at destabilised ENO are looking elsewhere.
ENO has scheduled 65 Performances of nine productions next season – I’m not surprised she’s leaving for Garsington. Her predecessor is going to ON. The advancement for opera administrators seems to be well away from ENO and it’s toxic Board although the subsidy equates to over £170,000 per performance. Plus the commercial rents the Coli generates for a large part of the year. So why can’t they make it work? Murphy’s Law maybe?
Hardly surprising given the uncertain future of ENO as it stands.
Good,maybe they’ll stop pandering to the woke crowd and finally give the spotlight back to English (proper English!) singers!
This is a very stupid comment. ‘Proper English singers, like the good old days!!!!’ – What, like Peter Coleman-Wright, Cheryl Barker, Christian du Plessis, Rita Hunter, Ken Collins, Arthur Davies, Gwynne Howell, Sean Rea – all of who were ENO stalwarts AND NONE OF WHOM WERE ENGLISH!
Oh god that’s an awful appointment. Couldn’t they find literally ANYONE else? It’s a not so well kept secret among the industry that she is abysmal at her job. Lucky ENO, something gone right for once.
Anyone who wants to progress in life must move on and have something more than seven years in one place. Hardly quiting, to use an Americanism, noore than Richard Mantle is quiting. She is just leaving, and he too into semi-retirement. Someone else will admirably fill her shoes. ENO has not gone yet.
This is a huge loss for ENO. Michelle Williams has done a brilliant job identifying new singers with real potential and then helping to develop their careers. The casting for the emergency 23/24 ENO Season is inspirational.
Jennifer Davis as Jenufa, Susan Bullock as Kostelnicka, Nicole Chevalier as Violetta, Gwyn Hughes Jones as Peter Grimes,
Christine Rice as Auntie, Elizabeth Llewellyn as Ellen Orford, Simon Bailey as Captain Balstrode, Soraya Mafi as Pamina,
Rainelle Krause as Queen of the Night,
Natalya Romaniw as Judith and the great bass, John Relyea as Bluebeard and Sarastro. This is a fantastic collection of first-rate singers in acclaimed and award-winning productions.
With a line-up like this,
the ENO is not about to go out of business.