English National Opera to perform John Adams’s El Niño at the London Coliseum

We will perform John Adams’s El Niño to a socially distanced audience for two concerts at the London Coliseum on 27 and 28 November 2020.

This rarely performed work continues our long association with John Adams’s work, having previously staged critically acclaimed productions of Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer and Doctor Atomic as well as the world stage premiere of the oratorio The Gospel According to the Other Mary.

Members of the award winning ENO Chorus and Orchestra will be conducted by ENO Music Director, Martyn Brabbins and will be joined on stage by six soloists – Nardus Williams (Soprano and ENO Harewood Artist), Jennifer Johnston (Mezzo Soprano), James Rutherford (Baritone), Jake Arditti (Countertenor), Tom Scott-Cowell (Countertenor) and Feargal Mostyn-Williams (Countertenor). The rallied ensemble will also be joined by a Children’s Choir from the Finchley Children’s Music Group.

Telling the Biblical story of the Nativity through the lens of the Mother, this opera-oratorio uses texts from a variety of sources and languages from across history, including the Wakefield Mystery Plays and poems by Rosario Castellanos, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Gabriela Mistral, Vicente Huidobro, Rubén Darío and Hildegard von Bingen.

‘El Niño is a luminous retelling of the Christmas story by John Adams. Written at a time of renewal and trepidation as the Millennium dawned, we hope that our audiences will find relief in this unfamiliar vision of the Nativity.’ says ENO Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon.

Become an ENO Member to take advantage of priority booking on Friday 30 October.

Tickets will go on public sale on Monday 2 November. Those aged under 21 can attend for free through a ballot, with 50 pairs of tickets available for the first performance.