ENO shortlists five cities for relocation

English National Opera (ENO) has shortlisted five cities as potential new homes for its headquarters.

The opera is being forced to restablish a main base outside of London as part of its funding arrangement with Arts Council England (ACE) after losing its National Portfolio status in November.

Birmingham, Bristol, Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Nottingham are the five cities in contention, after being chosen from a longlist of 14 bidders.

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ENO Chief Executive Stuart Murphy told the BBC that there will be a different version of the ENO depending on which city it chooses to go to.

Adding that there were pros and cons to each option, Murphy said the final decision will be dependent on a “whole combination of stuff”.

“We haven't said it all depends on who will put in the most money, or which is the biggest catchment area for population, or the youngest area,” he added.

“It's how excited the city is about us going there, what opportunities there are for partnerships, what things organically happen.”

ENO plans to narrow the shortlist to three by the end of the month, before making a final decision by the end of the year.

It then plans to move into its new home early next year, to meet the funding conditions of the £24m offered by ACE between 2024 and 2026.

An ACE spokesperson commented that the funding will allow for a “phased transition” to a new artistic and business model with a primary base outside London.

“The shared ambition is for the ENO to be in a strong position to apply to the Arts Council’s National Portfolio of funded organisations from 2026,” the spokesperson added.

Who will it be?

Over the weekend, Murphy told the Guardian that Liverpool and Manchester were “really strong contenders,” suggesting they are the front runners in the race to become ENO’s new home.

While the final decision is ENO’s to make, the five shortlisted cities will be put to ACE’s board for consideration.

According to Murphy, ACE has already given a “very clear steer” that its new base should not be within close proximity of the capital, which put an end to the bid of East Croydon, an ACE priority place for investment.

ACE has previously proposed ENO move to Manchester when first sharing its plans for the opera to relocate last year.

However, the funder could well support a move to any of the options in the Midlands or North of England, as that would keep it in line with the government’s levelling up agenda which saw funding moved away from London when its national portfolio was announced last November.

As Bristol is not a priority place for investment, a move there could call into question whether levelling up priorities have been met. However, it would offer ENO closer headquarters to the capital and does not currently host a major opera company.

Bristol is also the only shortlisted area without links to an established opera, with Birmingham already home to Birmingham Opera and Leeds-based Opera North – which was originally established to be a northern offshoot of ENO – having a long-standing presence in Manchester and a regular touring cycle to Liverpool and Nottingham.

Murphy has said that if the chosen city is home to an opera already, a key part of discussions will be how ENO can partner with them.

As part of its decision making, ENO will need to consider if there is a suitable venue for it to rehearse and perform in. But the biggest factor may end up being the financial viability of relocating to each city.

As part of its funding arrangement with ACE, ENO will continue to have a presence in London, through staging shows as its current home, the London Coliseum, meaning it will need its funding over the next three years to stretch across two locations.