Who gave the order to fire at English National Opera?
OperaThe distribution of redundancy notices to musicians before and during their performance of an opera is one of the most callous acts seen in an opera house in living memory.
The actual firing, reported exclusively by Slippedisc.com, was carried out by ENO’s ‘Director Of People’ Denise Mackenzie. She did not act on her own initiative. So who gave the order?
According to insiders, both interim CEO Jenny Mollica and artistic director Anneliese Miskimmon (pictured) were on leave last week. That suggests the order to fire came from the board, on the authority of chairman Dr Harry Brünjes.
This was a cruel and unnecessary actb for which no-one takes responsibility.
The board is saying nothing.
We append the names of its members:
Dr Harry Brünjes (Chair)
Louise Jeffreys (Deputy Chair)
Nicholas Addyman
Sally Burgess
Patty Dimond
Phil Edgar-Jones
Adiba Ighodaro
Professor Ajit Lalvani
Hilary Newiss
Sally Osman
Lord Chris Smith
Patti White
Richard Buxton
John Cooke (Board Secretary)
It is ninety-nine years since Lilian Baylis started her campaign to reopen the derelict Sadler’s Wells Theatre. She succeeded in 1931 having already taken over the Old Vic. The opera company followed and then the ballet, later to became the Royal Ballet, two of whose dancers, Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, later founded what is now English National Ballet. What an incredible legacy Lilian Baylis created. By contrast, the present board of ENO can barely manage to keep a part-time opera company going in spite of receiving still substantial ACE funds plus commercial rents from the Coli for much of the year.
Can you put some cash in Raymond?
The way this is being reported by SD, and slavishly repeated in the Daily Telegraph, needs, in my estimation, to be clarified.
There is absolutely no question that the timing of these letters is appalling and says a lot about the person(s) responsible.
The other point is that, in the light of the reported agreement last week between the Musicians Union and ENO, it appears that the letters were expected as they were the first step in trying to resolve the disastrous situation brought about by ACE. The next step appeared to be new seven month contracts to the same performers. If this is the case, the performers were not being ‘fired’ as the headline here states.
It would be helpful if someone in a position of knowledge could explain how this is being handled. Having said that, it cannot excuse the timing of the letter or the overall role of ACE.
You make good points but “fire and re-hire” is indeed a thing. Absolutely agree about the awful timing and role of ACE.
Having said that, it cannot excuse the timing of the letter or the overall role of ACE.
In the end, it all amounts to the same thing: a callous and arrogant disregard for those people who have been trying to keep the institution afloat.
Well, as you know the redundancy notices went out on Thursday evening. As far as I know, no one in the orchestra has yet received the revised contract, so currently they’re in limbo, which is also extraordinarily poor HR practice.
The MU are far from covered in glory either, as their negotiation tactics were naive to put it mildly. ENO mgmt offered 6 months, the MU countered with only 7 months, and ENO happily agreed. Really not sure that the MU can be seen to have usefully earned their membership subacriptions on this one.
Unbelievable, callous, thoughtless. My heart goes out to my friends and colleagues at ENO.
I just thank my lucky stars I got out of England while I still could.
Very sorry for those who stayed behind.
Oh, how I hear you…
Some of us just love England, our homeland, and live with it’s faults. I have travelled the world, and find there’s no such thing as a perfect country anywhere, just preferences!
Sorry, its, not it’s – typo!
Mobile phones have a habit of slipping incorrect autocorrect into sentences while we’re concentrating on getting to the end. Really irritating.
I agree, having also travelled the world. Work plays a big part in our decision about where to set down roots and I’ve been very lucky in that respect. I love Britain and would return in a flash if I could have the same quality of life as I enjoy here, but it’s unrealistic.
Got out of England to go . . . where?
Exactly! Scotland? Ireland? Northern Ireland? Wales? Spain? Lanzarote? France? Tenerife? Hardly great alternatives with their own problems, if not worse! Seen the cost of living in Ireland lately?
Are there any well known and distinguished professional musicians on this board? I don’t recognise the names. Sir Mark Elder, as a former Musical Director would be a good start.
Sally Burgess is on the board and was a mezzo at ENO some years ago.
More than you might imagine.
Sally Burgess, a wonderful and distinguished mezzo soprano
I remember our (excellent) Jean Valjean in the West End being informed by SMS during the interval of one of his habitual eight performances that week (Pip never cancelled) that his contract would not be renewed a few weeks hence. London has the gift for indulging in this type of callous behaviour, it seems. A plague on them all.
Yes, it seems to nirror the corporate world of the city of London in its HR way of doing things – Human Remains the bottom of the heap.
These two individual women on holiday could have quite easily given the orders to fire whilst away – not unheard of people in high ranking corporate positions doing their emails or whatever, and given the odd by the board. Disgraceful and callous way to treat artists.
I’m fairly confident that Annilese Miskimmon knows better than to fire performers during a performance.
I know nothing of this particular case but you seem to assume that being on leave creates an alibi. However, in the corporate world this happens so often it has become an SOP. Those who made the decision go on vacation and leave the execution to the HR hacks who actually lay off people. This is a good way to avoid watching people in pain and get away from some desperate calls.
They still all sneak at their emails and say: Get in touch if any problems!!!!
Having supported SEO/ENO almost since they moved into the Coliseum, the present situation is deeply depressing, and allow account of ACE appearing to have totally misunderstood the ENO audience. Once the company leaves London I will have no reason to support it. As I live in Andover trekking to and fro for whatever ENO puts on in London will hardly seem worthwhile.
Like you, I’ve been in the audience since 1971. I also happen to lobe opera in English. I am still able to support it still but not so often. When there’s a mattinee, I can do a day retire quiet easily from Ilkley via Leeds and on a cheap train ticket on LNER and a cheap ticket in the balcony. It really is not so easy or any cheaper, as I have found out, to get to Salford via both Leeds and Manchester. You end up looking at your watch, possibly missing the end of the opera or the last possible train. It would not have been the case if they had gone to the Palace, all kitted out in 1982 for Covent Garden who only came the once! But the whole thing I a total farce and a catastrophe. Someone needs to dismantle ACE and ENO management like – er – the Director of People. Ghastly title!
Was that not one of Himmler’s sub titles up to 1938 later,on his ‘promotion’,transfered to Eichmann who sadly became the ultimate Director of People
Where and who is responsible for digging up that Title ?
Surely not the same person that dug up über for your Pizza Delivery ?
Why is singer Sally Burgess on the board and a a pro singer not speaking out on this unacceptable situation??
Does she not care about her singing colleagues??
Sally Burgess …….
Has anyone bothered to ask why Anneliese Miskimmon is directing an opera in Hamburg while her company sinks? Is that leadership?
not correct -She’s not directing an opera in Hamburg or anywhere else. She is on leave and it was her show this happened at. terrible for her and all performing -Poor ENO- this is all because of ACE and it is a disgrace.
Travatore in Hamburg???? ….
the director is Immo Karaman – easily found online
Sadly, ACE only acted as the catalyst. ENO’s management were apparently disinclined to look into funding options to the ACE grant when the edict landed. Given how unbelievably inefficient and ineffective their current fundraising team is, I guess this isn’t so surprising.
Looking back at Martyn Brabbins resignation statement talking about the “managed decline” of the company, we can now see that this management have actually been angling to shut ENO’s doors for quite some time. ACE seem simply to have given them the excuse to extradite their contemptible demolishment.
If even half of what is claimed to have occurred is true it’s hard to imagine a more callous and insensitive way to treat your employees.
Not hard to imagine if you are in banking. 60,000 job losses globally last year and 30 minutes to clear your desk in some cases.
Ridiculous analogy. It is done in banking and corporate situations so disgruntled employees who were just fired can’t carry off client lists, confidential information or screw up information systems. What could an ENO musician do, download the season’s opera schedule or online programs? And even banks and corporations don’t do it when the employee is in the middle of a critical task. These incompetent ENO and Arts Council “managers” couldn’t manage their way out of a paper bag.
Heartless and crass actions by a now silent few.
Does anyone think the £28.5m wages bill we pay for the administrators at ACE are by any stretch of the imagination a good use of money ‘for the arts’?
regarding the timing of the redundancy emails, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the management member responsible had no idea there was a performance on that evening — such is the disconnect in many arts companies these days
In my life experience being ‘on leave’ is no guarantee one is not involved. In the University where I worked for many years the culmination of a rather unpleasant lingering deprtmental issue was solved by the Dean being out of the country when his ‘minion’ rocked up to announce the dirty deed. Not one person except myself had the guts to innocently ask ‘what about the telephone or email’ when the excuse ‘he’s overseas’ was offered. The response, shocked look & dead silence, was such no one was in any doubt as to who had actually signed the ‘death warrant’! I can vividly recall every moment over 25 years later.