Today, 21 September 2015, ENO announces that Dr Harry Brünjes has been appointed ENO Chairman with immediate effect. Dr Brünjes has been a trustee of the ENO Board since 22 September 2010 and Acting Chairman of ENO since 15 February 2015. His appointment is confirmed following a three-month recruitment and benchmarking process managed by a selection panel of board trustees led by Deputy Chairman Glyn Barker and in consultation with Arts Council England (ACE).

On accepting the role of ENO Chairman, Dr Harry Brünjes said, “It has been a privilege to serve on the ENO Board for the past five years and I’m delighted to take on the role of Chairman at such an exciting, transformational time for ENO and the London Coliseum. Working together with the Board and ENO executive team, I look forward to leading a company dedicated to producing the highest quality opera which is accessible to everyone and to securing the future of our iconic building.”

ENO can also confirm that Cressida Pollock moves to the role of Chief Executive Officer on a fixed-term three-year contract with immediate effect. The ENO Board has taken the decision to extend Ms Pollock’s contract with ENO following her excellent progress in leading the organisation, bringing additional focus to operations and developing a new strategic business plan for the company. Cressida Pollock joined ENO, leading a team from global management consultancy McKinsey & Company on a pro bono basis, in September 2014 and worked on a strategic review of operations of the company before being appointed Interim CEO on 24 March 2015.

Spitalfields Music is delighted to announce the appointment of Eleanor Gussman as the charity’s new Chief Executive. Gussman will join Spitalfields Music in October 2015 to lead its Festivals and year round Learning & Participation programme, and as it prepares to celebrate its 40^th Anniversary in 2016.

Gussman joins Spitalfields Music after over 8 years at the London Symphony Orchestra, including leading pioneering music education initiatives as Head of LSO Discovery.  Most recently she has acted as a consultant for clients including London Sinfonietta and Wellcome Trust.

New ENO Music Director Mark Wigglesworth conducts Dmitri Tcherniakov’s new production of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Award-winning Russian director Dmitri Tcherniakov returns to ENO with a new production of Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. First seen in Düsseldorf in 2008, Tcherniakov’s bold and contemporary production goes to the core of Shostakovich’s powerful drama. Mark Wigglesworth conducts his first production as ENO Music Director.

Shostakovich’s operatic masterpiece of the Soviet era, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk tells the story of a bored and lonely merchant’s wife, who seeks solace and excitement in an affair that ultimately leads to her downfall. Its graphic language and explicit portrayal of sex and violence led to the work being banned in the Soviet Union for almost 30 years.

Opera and theatre director Dmitri Tcherniakov has a global reputation for his daring and often contentious directorial style. For ENO he has directed Simon Boccanegra in 2011. The Independent noted “there is an extraordinary director at work here”. He has also created the design of this production.

ENO’s new Music Director Mark Wigglesworth is an acclaimed Shostakovich interpreter, having recorded all of the composer’s symphonies to critical acclaim, BBC Music Magazine named him as “the finest Shostakovich interpreter of his generation”. He conducted a previous production of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk for the Company in 2001. For ENO Mark has also conducted Così fan tutte, Falstaff, Katya Kabanova and Parsifal.

Leading a world class cast is soprano Patricia Racette making her debut as Katerina (the title role). British tenor John Daszak made his professional opera debut with ENO in Jen?fa and has since appeared in a number of productions including Boris Godunov, Manon Lescaut, Nabucco, A Masked Ball and The Trojans. He will perform the role of Sergei. Bass baritone Robert Hayward will play Boris, Katerina’s father-in-law. Robert has performed in numerous productions for ENO including Otello, Pelleas and Melisande, Lulu and The Ring Cycle.

Bradford-born tenor Peter Hoare will sing the role of Zinovy Ismailov. Peter last performed at English National Opera in the role of Hermann in David Alden’s new production of The Queen of Spades. British bass Matthew Best was last seen at ENO as Tiresias in the world premiere of Julian Anderson’s Thebans and as Swallow in David Alden’s critically acclaimed production of Peter Grimes.  He will sing the role of the Old Convict. Danish bass Per Bach Nissen makes his ENO debut as the Chief of Police.

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk opens at the London Coliseum on 26 September 2015 for 8 performances – 26, 29 September, 2, 8, 10, 13, 20 October at 7.30pm, 17 October at 6.30pm.

It will also be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 on Tuesday 13 October at 7.00pm.

Last night (2 July 2015) Edward Gardner conducted the final performance of Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades – his final performance as Music Director of ENO.

At the curtain call he was joined onstage by the full ENO Orchestra and chorus, who he has lead for the past eight and a half seasons. A presentation was made onstage by Artistic Director, John Berry.

During his tenure, Gardner has conducted some 37 productions. He will return to ENO in 2015/16 season as a guest conductor to conduct the new production of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde, directed by Daniel Kramer and designed by Anish Kapoor.

He will be succeeded by Mark Wigglesworth who joins ENO for the 2015/16 season.

The Fourteenth Oxford Lieder Festival – Singing Words: Poets and their Songs – will run from 16-31 October 2015 and will once again bring a glittering array of musicians to Oxford in a diverse and enticing programme. It will focus on poets and the words that shape songs, with many programmes devoted to specific poets and a series of related cultural events.

The opening recital of the Festival will be given by superstar duo Sarah Connolly and Graham Johnson (16 Oct), who perform Schubert, Brahms and Wolf. Sophie Kartäuser and Eugene Asti (17 Oct) will explore Mörike and Éluard via the music of Wolf, Schumann and Poulenc. Former BBC Cardiff Singer of the World winner Katarina Karnéus and Stephan Loges join Festival director Sholto Kynoch for an evening devoted to settings of Goethe (18 Oct). Other recital highlights include performances given by Elizabeth Watts and Julius Drake (20 Oct), Matthew Rose (30 Oct) and Christoph Prégardien and Roger Vignoles (31 Oct). Anna Stéphany and Sholto Kynoch perform a major new song cycle commissioned by Oxford Lieder from Rhian Samuel (28 Oct), and John Mark Ainsley and Catherine Hopper perform a programme of Shakespeare in Music (21 Oct). The Festival will also feature an event devoted to Mary Stuart, with music by Schumann and new works by Judith Bingham, Eddie McGuire and Dee Isaacs. Imogen Cooper will be Artist in Residence, giving recitals with Wolfgang Holzmair and Henk Neven, as well as a solo performance and masterclasses.

A lunchtime recital series will feature the complete songs of Gabriel Fauré (paired with Schubert songs), with artists including Lucy Crowe (27 Oct) and James Gilchrist (20 Oct). This series will be launched at a lecture-recital weekend withGraham Johnson (17 & 18 Oct), whose series Schubert’s Life & Times was a Festival highlight for many in 2014. There will be a study day on the life and songs of Hector Berlioz (24 Oct), with speakers to include the author of the definitive Berlioz biography, David Cairns.

Chamber, instrumental and choral works, with artists including the Doric String Quartet (20 & 26 Oct), the Phoenix Piano Trio (22 Oct) and Tom Poster (23 Oct), will be heard throughout the Festival, in addition to a wide range of talks, readings, and other events. Masterclasses will be given by artists including Robert Holl, Ann Murray and Roger Vignoles. Oxford Lieder continues to develop its well-established programme of projects in local schools and opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to participate in the Festival.

As the curtain goes up on Garsington Opera’s fifth season at Wormsley, Douglas Boyd, Artistic Director, is delighted to announce the 2016 season which will include a collaboration with the dance company Rambert on Haydn’s The Creation.  The season will also feature a further three new productions:  Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, conducted by Douglas Boyd and directed by Michael Boyd, Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri conductor David Parry, director William Tuckett and Mozart’sIdomeneo with Tobias Ringborg conducting and Tim Albery directing.

Rambert  will be the first dance company to appear on the stage at Garsington Opera.  Together with Garsington Opera orchestra, chorus and soloists, Haydn’s masterpiece The Creation will be conducted by Douglas Boyd and brought to life by choreographer Mark Baldwin, who is Artistic Director of Rambert and visual artist Pablo Bronstein.

Douglas Boyd said:  We want to celebrate our wonderful Opera Pavilion and Garsington Opera in every possible way and I am delighted to be collaborating with Rambert.  Bringing together different art forms is something that I believe enhances and compliments our opera festival as we continue to explore partnerships with some of the most vibrant arts organisations of our time.

Mark Baldwin said: Music and cross art-form collaboration have always been an integral part of Rambert’s work and a particular passion of mine. I am hugely excited to be collaborating with Garsington Opera and Pablo Bronstein on this very special project which will see Rambert’s world-class dancers join the incredible Garsington soloists, orchestra and chorus. I believe this will maximise the creativeness and beauty of Haydn’s masterpiece and prove to be a glorious and uplifting experience.

Edward Blakeman, Director, BBC Proms 2015, will continue to lead the festival throughout this year’s season and ahead of David’s arrival.

Helen Boaden, Director of BBC Radio, says: “David has an outstanding track record in bringing new audiences to classical music, as well as a background in both orchestral and operatic music. I am absolutely delighted he will be working with Alan to build on the success of the BBC Proms. I would also like thank Edward Blakeman for leading the Proms with skill and flair as Director, BBC Proms 2015, and on delivering another excellent programme this year.”

Alan Davey says: “David comes from a background of musical excellence and exploration, and will bring a whole host of fresh ideas to help us ensure the greatest classical music festival in the world continues to provide the place for people to discover and rediscover the best classical music. His achievements at Glyndebourne have included the discovery of exciting new artistic talent and the establishment of a range of new initiatives to bring opera to wider audiences through Glyndebourne’s touring, education and digital activities.