Profile: Scottish Opera - Scotland’s national opera company
Facts and statistics on Scottish Opera as it celebrates its 50th anniversary
What is it?
Founded in 1962 by Sir Alexander Gibson, Scotland’s national opera company celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2012/13. Not without its dramas off-stage as well as on-stage over the years, Scottish Opera is one of five national performing companies that are funded directly by the Scottish Government.
Where is it?
Its home is the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, where a £4.8m redevelopment project is underway with completion scheduled for 2014, in time for the Commonwealth Games. The company performs at the Edinburgh International Festival as well as presenting its main season in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. Touring productions reach over 50 theatres, village halls and community centres throughout the country. Its education and outreach programme involves thousands of primary school children and offers many adult learning events and taster sessions.
But opera’s not cheap …
New Zealander Alex Reedijk joined the company as general director in 2006, a time of one of Scottish Opera’s many encounters with financial uncertainty. The company’s orchestra controversially changed working practice from full-time to part-time in 2010. Similarly, the full-time chorus was cut back in 2004 and is now entirely comprised of freelance singers.
Who’s in charge?
There have been only four music directors in the company’s 50 years, the present incumbent being Francesco Corti, who has been particularly successful in bringing Italian opera to Scottish audiences since his appointment in 2007. Richard Armstrong is notable as a past music director for the acclaimed Ring Cycle, which opened at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival, and the world premiere of James MacMillan’s Inés De Castro.
Other hits?
One of Scottish Opera’s most successful recent achievements is the Five: 15 operas initiative, a five-year research and development project, supported by Made in Scotland, to give opportunity to an up-and-coming generation of composers, librettists and directors.