Editorial

Graham Devlin’s report for the Arts Council on opera provision in the UK was about to be published as this issue went to press, and judging by the preliminary chitchat about its findings in the opera world, it is set to cause something of a stir. The report points out the extraordinary discrepancy between state funding of the large national companies and of the myriad of smaller outfits who provide an effective net of opera that covers the country, taking performances to local communities and far flung regions.

Most of these small and medium-scale companies exist on hard work and enthusiasm alone. A paltry 1.1 per cent of public money set aside for opera is directed towards the work that they do. The rest has to be raised through sponsorship and support in kind. And yet, the UK has the most vibrant and active touring opera circuit in the world, far more than in other major European countries, where opera is heavily subsidised and as a consequence perhaps, more institutionalised.

So should the cry go out for more public subsidy of these small companies in the light of Devlin’s report? Or is it lack of dependence on state money, with all its terms and conditions, the very thing allows them to function so freely across the sweep of the UK’s cultural landscape?

Most small opera companies would admit that life is a struggle, especially in the current economic climate, and that a bit more support from the public purse would help ease the sense of sheer exhaustion that accompanies the process of running an opera company, in spite of satisfaction and exhilaration of the performances themselves.

It’s certainly the case that if the national companies are taking so huge a portion of the funding cake, there should be an obligation for them to share a slice or two with their poorer cousins, rather than a few mere crumbs.

After all, as Devlin points out, small companies are the seedbed of professional opera not just in the UK, but all over the world, providing training and experience for singers, directors, designers, administrators –  contributing, in fact, to every resource that an opera house requires in order to function well.

If these companies fail in hard financial times, then the fuel that stokes the engines of great opera companies over the world will be cut off, to the detriment of the art form itself. For more on this, read our special UK focus on pages 49 to 59 of  this issue, celebrating the UKs dynamic operatic heritage.