ENO is pleased to announce ENO Studio Live, a new initiative which offers audiences the opportunity to experience the power of our forces and a team of world-class soloists in an intimate studio environment.

The initiative will launch this summer with the UK premiere of Jonathan Dove’s The Day After, performed for the first time in a new choral version, and Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury.

ENO Studio Live will showcase the company’s exceptional emerging and in-house talent, from members of ENO’s award winning Chorus and Orchestra to our Staff Directors, Harewood Artists and Music Staff.

These performances will welcome audiences to ENO’s historic rehearsal studios, Lilian Baylis House, in West Hampstead. Formerly the site of the West Hampstead Town Hall, and named after ENO’s founder, Lilian Baylis House was once the Decca Recording Studios and hosted many classical recording sessions alongside albums by Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie.

Speaking about the initiative, ENO’s Artistic Director Daniel Kramer commented: ‘We strive to present world-class opera at ENO. This is made possible by the brilliant work of my exceptionally talented colleagues – many of whom are emerging artists in their own right.

‘My own opera career was launched at the Young Vic in 2008 when ENO took a risk and gave me the chamber opera, Punch and Judy. It is a priority for me, therefore, to ensure we develop our emerging artists by providing platforms and opportunities for them to experiment and develop their own craft.

‘I am delighted to launch ENO Studio Live – an opportunity for us to provide more opportunities for rising talent within the British opera scene. Audiences will have the rare opportunity to hear an impressive array of soloists alongside members of our award-winning Chorus and Orchestra performing in an intimate studio setting. It will be a wonderful chance to experience the power of our forces up close.’

Presented fully staged, The Day After will be directed by emerging director Jamie Manton and conducted by ENO’s Chorus Master and up-and-coming conductor James Henshaw. The production features designs by Camilla Clarke, a winner of the 2015 Linbury Prize for Stage Design. Lighting designs are by ENO’s Head of Technical, Tom Mannings.

Members of ENO’s award-winning Chorus will take on the majority of the principal roles. Claire Mitcher will sing the role of Young Woman, Susanna Tudor-Thomas will perform as Old Woman and Robert Winslade Anderson will be Old Man/Phoebus.  They are joined by Rachael Lloyd as Woman/Mother and William Morgan as Young Man/Phaeton.

Trial by Jury will be directed by opera and theatre director Matthew Monaghan and conducted by Martin Fitzpatrick, ENO’s Head of Music. The fully-staged production features designs by Camilla Clarke and lighting designs by Tom Mannings.

The world-class cast includes Gilbert and Sullivan expert Richard Suart as The Learned Judge, ENO regular Mark Richardson as The Usher, up-and-coming young soprano Natalie Montakhab as The Plaintiff and ENO Harewood Artist Matthew Durkan as Counsel. They are joined by ENO Choristers Pablo Strong as The Defendant and Paul Sheehan as Foreman of the Jury.