SWOT analysis of the English National Opera
STRENGTHS
The product is definite.
Although there are many different titles of shows and ways of performing Opera, on the whole the customer knows, when attending a performance, what to expect.
Accessibility is improving.
Through recent more widespread distribution of Videos/DVDs and CDs – in well known music stores. Also through Touring and Open-air Opera and to some extent educational workshops and talks, the English National Opera (ENO) has improved accessibility socially, geographically and physically. On a social level, Opera can be taken to the people, giving it a new and more innovative image therefore creating interest throughout a more widespread number and class of people. Thus allowing Opera attendees to begin to be stereotyped in a different way, which in itself improves accessibility to those who believed they simply were not of a high enough class to attend Opera. On a geographical level, people no longer need to travel to the only venue of the ENO – The London Coliseum, and on a physical level, the new Coliseum has full disability access and also have improved orchestra pit and stage doors from the workshop, allowing even more fantastic set designs to be constructed.
Offer a varied range of performances all year round.
The ENO have a full schedule of shows throughout the season. John Nelson, a board member said that this is a very positive thing as if there is a regular turnover of performances and events people can get into the habit of attending’.
Communication links between interested parties are solid.
Within the Opera ‘circle’ communication is frequent. The ENO has a long list of ‘friends’ and mailing recipients with whom there is frequent contact and updates about events, up and coming performances and invitations to preview nights, the opinions surveys regarding all aspects of the ENO are often posted to the ‘Friends of the ENO’. This regular contact makes people feel as if they are involved and play a role in the success of the Opera House.
Price elasticity.
Seat prices vary greatly so that more people can afford to attend the Opera. Typically those from social classes A and B attended the Opera, and this was partly to do with the cost of tickets. The ENO have made an effort to change this and have introduced more variable ticket pricing. For example...
... middle of paper ...
...opportunities that may help to boost income.
Reduction in government funding.
Due to the increasing diversity and number of other Art forms in need of support and the ‘excessive amount upon which Opera Companies have begun to rely on government subsidy’ (Arts Council), the government has reduced it funding for Opera Companies. Although the ENOs funding has seen less of a cut than others, it has still been reduced.
Growing statutory responsibilities of local authorities.
Increased responsibility to finance other areas of local interest means the local authority has almost halved its financial support for the ENO in the last six years.
Expensive legalities related to producing Opera.
The increasing costs of insurance and applying to health and safety regulations is a threat to the future of the ENO.
Bibliography
Arts Council England (2002), http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/. UK: The National Lottery Commission
Davies, Anita (2003), OPERA Cultural Trends. UK: Policy Studies Insitute
English National Opera (2001), http://www.eno.org. UK: Emapdigital
Thanks to-
John Nelson, member of the Board of Directors of the English National Opera Company.
In his day, Johann Adolph Hasse was at the forefront of Italian opera. Although he composed a fair amount of sacred works, he is best known for his operatic output. He was widely popular throughout Italy and Germany, and was commissioned by courts and opera houses throughout Europe. His performances were attended by cultural figures at the time, as well as some of the biggest names in common-era music today. In his later life, styles changed and so Hasse’s acclaim diminished after his death. But generations later, he was re-established as a figurehead and icon of classic ancient Italian opera, a designation he possesses even today.
Eastern Washington University Department of Music presented a program of Opera works by Giacomo Puccini, Aron Copland, W.A. Mozart, John Dowland, Franz Shubert, Maurice Ravel, and Robert Schumann on Friday, March 7, 6:30 p.m., in the Music Building, Recital Hall. These Opera works were sung by Senior Recitalist, Alexandra Rannow.
I attended the Los Angeles Philharmonic classical music concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Friday 29 November 2013. The classical concert started at 8:00pm to the enjoyment of the huge audience that had been waiting for this amazing music extravaganza. Classical music concerts always offer magnificent entertainment and the audience in this concert was expectant to derive such entertainment or more. In attendance were Christian Zacharias who was the conductor and Martin Chalifour who was the LA Phil commanding Principal Concertmaster and Bach violin player. In readiness for the concert, I enjoyed a special dinner prepared for the audience. More specifically, LA Phil staffer introduced us to the evening classical concert amidst cheers from the audience. It was such a refreshing and joyous feeling to be part of this audience.
Christmas and Opera did not merely seem to correlate, but understanding where the two events derived from can help one to understand the similarities and differences between them. The development of Christmas was different from the creation of opera because the working class was controlling the other social classes for profit. Whereas for opera, the different social classes unified to keep opera as entertainment and not a social event. Another difference came within the writing and context throughout the article and the presentation of information conveyed by the author. Yet the events share the similarity of both being refined and reinvented.
On October 12th, I saw Tosca by Giacomo Puccini held at Atlanta Opera. Tosca is an Italian opera, directed by Tomer Zvulun, accompanied by an orchestra conducted by Arthur Fagen, included a cast of Kara Shay Thomson, Massimiliano Pisapia, and Luis Ledesma (The Atlanta Opera). Opera is an art form in which singers act out drama through a combination of acting and vocal performance. Singers deliver conversation in a musical manner, essentially singing the conversation. Since we recently learned about opera in class, I want to explore the future of opera - where it will go next with the ever advancing modern technology, media and entertainment, and what researches are currently being done at both the industry and academic levels. I will briefly describe what the traditional opera is like using Tosca as an example. Next, I will look at modern opera after the World War II. I will also select one example from the industry and university that are experimenting with opera. At last, I will offer my imagination of what the future of opera may be.
Although the castrato maintained a 100 year long infamy, transition was bound to happen. The phenomenon was splendid and served well in the upbringing of opera through the eighteenth century, but various European events (i.e. French Revolutionary and Napoleon wars) changed the course of history for good. If not for those wars, women might still be sitting silently in the audience. However, opera really owes credit to the “barber surgeons” of Italy for disobeying the law and continuing their practice despite all consequences against their actions. Without their bravery, castrati may never have existed along with the moving operatic compositions of the early seventeenth century to the nineteenth century.
Grout, Donald Jay, and Williams, Hermine Weigel. A Short History of Opera: 4th Edition. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003
The opera Rigoletto is a significant cultural object, containing many symbolic forms in its physical production and in its use of musical conventions to convey meaning. The story pertains to topics of broad ideologies which are consistent with varied audiences, and in its time, the opera challenged popular belief. Today, it stands rather as an icon of the tragic exploitation of the lower class, and of the injustices that every person must face.
Plays are a unique form of entertainment and literature, for they typically include scenes in which characters acknowledge and address the audience directly through various monologues and soliloquies. This adds an extra interactive layer of involvement where the audience can influence a character’s decisions. For instance, in Shakespeare’s Othello, the main character, a wily young man ironically dubbed “honest” Iago stops to tell the audience about his true intentions just as often as he tries to undermine other characters. Naturally, Iago would need some release from his deceitful planning. Therefore, the audience, by silently abiding through Iago’s speeches, must be his sidekicks – albeit unwillingly – the only people Iago trusts and feels
... middle of paper ... ... A majority of her staff is on contract and generally works less than the symphony does. This provides a great opportunity for the opera employees to increase their potential performances and network with a much more renowned organization.
Opera, a popular art from Italy, was popular with the immigrants as well, and unlike the music halls, it generated an appeal far beyond the Italian community. From the 1880's, when the Metropolitan Opera House opened in New York with Cleofante Capanini as it's first conductor and director, until today, the Italians have been prominent in opera in the United States and else where in the world.
Operas as a form of art became popular in society around the mid 17th century. Originating from Italy, people viewed the opera as a combination of poetry, dance and music. At the time, people were quick to be awed by the ability of the opera to combine all three forms of art into one show of theatre. Obviously, the opera was quick to spread and develop in other countries. The one destination the opera soon gained popularity and fame in was no surprise. As Oscar de la Renta once said, “If you want to establish an international presence you can’t do so from New York. You need the consecration of Paris.”
A mere mention of the term theatre acts as a relief to many people. It is in this place that a m...
This SWOT analysis will look at K-pop at four sides to discuss how it become an international hit.
Nevertheless, the question at hand is whether theatre will have a role in the society of the future, where cinema, digital television, and computers will continue to expand and grow. The answer to this question is yes. Heading into the 21st century, theatre will only be a fraction in a solid media industry. However, despite all the excitement technology brings with it, they will never replace theatre because it has something that can not be recreated or offered anywhere else. The cinema and its larger than life world appeals as an affordable alternative. Digital television provides digital interaction between the viewer and the producer. Theatre on the other hand, and its contents may take on a larger dimension, but we receive it directly in flesh and blood – one to one. The magical atmosphere between an actor and spectator who are constantly aware of each other and the theatre’s level of engagement is fundamentally more human and far more intimate.