Welsh National Opera 'disappointed' as it has its funding cut by Arts Council England

The Welsh National Opera is to have its funding cut by Arts Council England, it was announced today.

The opera company based in Cardiff will have its annual allowance cut by a third to £4 million. It is partly funded by the Arts Council England as it performs in Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham, Southampton and Oxford as well as Wales.

It is also funded by £4.5m by the Arts Council of Wales and around 10% of its annual income comes from fundraising.

WNO employs over 250 people ranging from artists, craftspeople, technicians and administrators, based at the Wales Millennium Centre.

A spokesperson told Classic FM: “Whilst we are grateful for Arts Council England’s continued support, we are disappointed by the announcement today that we will receive a substantial cut to our funding.

“We fully appreciate the pressures that ACE themselves are facing, but as we experience rising costs and reduced income in the current challenging economic climate, we will need to review the impact of this decision on the delivery of our services in England in light of the announcement.”

Arts Council England also announced funding cuts to English National Opera, Glyndebourne Productions Ltd and the Royal Opera House.

Sir Nick Serota, chair of Arts Council England, made the announcement on a live stream, saying: “The position was made relatively clear when the Secretary of State instructed us to take money out of London... and encouraged us to take money from central London to some parts of the city that haven’t previously had funding.

“It was almost inevitable that we would have to take some money away form some of the main theatres in London. We’ve simply had to make some very invidious choices.”

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