Welsh National Opera
The Welsh National Opera (WNO) ( Welsh : Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru ) is an opera company founded in Cardiff , Wales in 1946 . It consists of an orchestra (The Orchestra of Welsh National Opera) and a professional choir (The Chorus of Welsh National Opera).
The company gives 120 performances of eight operas annually and tours the UK. Annual attendance at Cardiff, Bristol , Birmingham , Liverpool , Llandudno , Oxford , Milton Keynes , Plymouth , Southampton and Swansea is over 150,000. The company has been based at the Wales Millennium Center in Cardiff since 2004 and uses the building for its performances.
Most of the company's opera productions were initially performed in English translation, and from 1970 also in the original language with surtitles . Former musical directors of the society include Vilém Tauský , Warwick Braithwaite , Sir Richard Armstrong and Sir Charles Mackerras . Long-time conductor of the opera was also Martin André . Lothar Koenigs has been the musical director since 2009 .
In 2015 the Welsh National Opera received the International Opera Award for the best choir.
Web links
- Homepage of the Welsh National Opera (English)