It’s Black Thursday in Wales as opera chorus shrinks to 20
NewsYesterday was the deadline for applying for voluntary redundancies at Welsh National Opera. From today, cost-cutting officials will be issuing redundancy notices with the aim of reducing a once-proud chorus to a payroll of twenty.
The guilty parties are Arts Council England and its puppet in Wales.
Christopher Ball, a founding member of Friends of WNO, has provided bursaries for 30 years to 35 singers. Now he says, ‘why did I bother?’ He’s cutting WNO out of his will.
Surely Commander Stuart Murphy could be brought in to save them like she saved ENO?
It’s shocking combined with the news about the RWCD Junior Department. I thought Wales was supposed to be the Land of Song not Land of Sacking!!
It might make that triumphal scene from Aida look a bit silly. Probably take a couple of extra choristers to put on an elephant outfit. Rental elephants aren’t cheap, you know.
A tragedy. WNO chorus have always been marvellous.. It is a travesty that it is now going to be a glee club not a wonderful wall of sound. Shame on the Scrooge’s whoslashedthe funding