ACE floats prospect of additional funding for opera

Arts Council England (ACE) will consider using existing grant schemes to channel more money into developing new opera works as part of efforts to support the sector.

Publishing its response to a report it commissioned last year into the state of the opera sector, which was released in March, ACE said that given the government’s position on public spending, the arts and culture sector should not assume increases to the funding it distributes over the next two to three years.

“Current demands on Arts Council budgets are historically high, meaning that any changes [ACE or the sector] wish to implement as a result of the discussions we will be having, almost certainly need to involve repurposing existing funding, rather than allocating significant new investment,” the response states.

However ACE said it will consider providing money for the art form from its existing grants programmes.

“Our focus now will be on working together with the opera sector to develop appropriate – and achievable – short-, medium- and long-term actions,” the report adds.

“We expect that those plans as they develop will help us think about the role that National Lottery Project Grants and our other strategic funding programmes might play in supporting the sector in the future.”

ACE’s response to the analysis of the state of opera has been published following a sector-wide consultation on the findings.

The report commissioned by ACE set out four areas of focus for future work: sector organisation and communication; talent development; innovation and new work; and touring and audience development.

‘Frank’ discussions

ACE said that discussions during the consultation with the sector on its findings were “thoughtful, frank, and often passionate”.

“Our conversations revealed a spectrum of views about the Analysis, which we reflect on in this response. Crucially, however, we heard clear support for the four areas of focus for future work, which gave us confidence that we can continue to partner with the sector to progress them.”

ACE says it has undertaken work in each of the areas but added that in every case, “there is more to be done”.

“It’s important to acknowledge that this ongoing work around opera and music theatre is taking place in the context of recent reductions in the Arts Council’s own funding for some companies, unprecedented levels of demand across our budgets, and extreme pressure on the sector’s business models.

“This context will inevitably shape the speed and the scale of positive change that is possible – but we are confident, nevertheless, that change can and will happen.

“Our confidence is driven by the fact that, in our recent conversations with sector leaders there is a notable appetite to explore new approaches.”