The English National Opera has picked an odd-yet-interesting way to start its new life in Manchester: reaching out to soccer enthusiasts. After a big money-related shake-up about 2 years ago (when they lost their £12 million support unless they left London)‚ the group is trying something new up north
Jenny Mollica‚ the groups leader is super-excited about their new project called Perfect-Pitch which will start early next year: it aims to see how group-singing affects both players and fans at matches. “Manchester is definitely the right place for us“ she says showing real trust in the citys famous music background
The move-up north hasnt been all smooth sailing though. A while back Lord Sumption quit his board spot; calling it a philistine choice that might hurt their money situation. Some musicians werent happy either – they almost went on strike when part-time contracts came up
The opera group will use cool places like the Aviva Studios and Lowry Theatre; taking their time to settle in completely by 2029. Theyʼve got big plans too:
- Making new operas that show Manchesterʼs different communities
- Putting on Einstein on the Beach by Glass and Wilson
- Starting a youth opera group
- Running health programs with breathing exercises
Theyre mixing things up; using the citys rich pop music history (think The Smiths and Oasis) to make something new – its gonna be interesting to see how football and opera work together in this non-traditional mix-up