English National Opera are delighted to announce that we have received notice from ACE and DCMS confirming that we are to receive repayable financial support of £8.5million from the Culture Recovery Fund. We want to thank everyone at both ACE and DCMS for their continued support during this time.

This loan allows us to plan positively for the future, focus on staging opera both in London and across the country, and maintain our beautiful home, the London Coliseum, as well as providing jobs for both our permanent staff and freelancers who are integral to everything we do. It also allows us to continue to bring opera to as many people as possible, through continued free tickets for under 18s, providing support to COVID patients though ENO Breathe, or developing new ways to engage audiences from large-scale drive-in opera with ENO Drive and Live to concerts of both rarely performed and much loved works.

For now, we want to thank everyone for their ongoing support and encourage those who are able to do so to continue to support their favourite cultural institutions whatever they might be and however they can. The arts employ thousands, help us make sense of ourselves and our world, and define us as a society.

We hope everyone continues to stay safe and we look forward to a bright future at ENO.

Stuart Murphy, CEO, English National Opera, said: ‘Everyone at ENO is enormously grateful to Oliver Dowden, Emma Squire and everyone at DCMS, and Adam Jeanes and the team at Arts Council England for their support during this pandemic. Today’s news allows us to continue ENO’s long history of innovation and plan for the future. We can’t wait to use this financial support to continue creating brilliant opera available to everyone.’

Harry Brunjes, Chair, English National Opera, said: ‘Stuart Murphy (CEO) and Karen Watson (COO) and indeed all at ENO have tackled the challenges of 2020 with its usual vigour and enthusiasm. Everyone at the organisation is delighted that the receipt of this support from DCMS and ACE allows us to plan positively for the future, providing secure jobs for our full time staff and freelancers who form a vital part of the wider arts ecology.’