Exclusive: ENO starts firing musicians

We have received this message from a trusted insider:

’15 Feb
‘Members of the chorus and orchestra started receiving formal redundancy notices from the ENO ‘Director Of People’ Denise Mackenzie this evening- beginning in the hour before curtain-up of the final performance of ‘Handmaid’s Tale’, and continuing through the evening. Many singers and players first saw their sacking emails during the interval. ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ is one of the most technically and emotionally demanding works in ENO’s recent repertoire. The conductor, Joana Carneiro (pictured), was horrified when she learned what was taking place, and then astonished that the performance showed no signs whatever of the turmoil being inflicted on the performers in real time.

‘The ENO Board and senior management’s contemptuous disregard for the people who make its core product- and therefore for opera itself- is self-evident. They’re only interested in their AirBnB Coliseum plan, alongside the minimum possible quantity of condescending crumbs for ‘lucky’ Manchester. Individual Board members, will still get to attend first nights of commercial tat and neck champagne with ‘celebs’. For the senior management, individual self-preservation is now the only game in town as they polish their CVs ahead of jumping shop as soon as possible.’

UPDATE: Message from Susan McCulloch: I made my professional debut at ENO straight from the NOS as the Countess (jumping in for the indisposed Helen Field) many years ago. I cannot begin to imagine the sad hearts, tight throats, veiled tears (and anger) at the ENO today. It’s the most incredible, wonderful company and unthinkable to have the British Opera scene without it. That the members were served redundancy notices MID-PERFORMANCE last night is cruel, wicked and thoughtless beyond belief.

UPDATE: Who gave the order to fire?