The Royal Opera

The Royal Opera is one of the world’s leading opera companies. Based at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, it brings together the greatest singers of our time alongside the most exciting voices of the future; the Royal Opera Chorus, a world-class orchestra and leading conductors, directors and creative teams to share inspiring theatrical experiences with audiences worldwide.

Principal Partner of The Royal Opera

Oliver Mears, Director of Opera, The Royal Opera

Oliver Mears has been Director of Opera of The Royal Opera since 2017.

Director of the Royal Opera, Oliver Mears, is wearing a brown blazer and sits on a wooden crate, looking to the side. Behind him, there are professional lighting and audio equipment in front of muted green walls.

Jakub Hrůša, Music Director Designate, The Royal Opera

Jakub Hrůša will begin his tenure as Music Director of The Royal Opera in the 2025/26 Season.

Jakub Hrůša, wearing a dark suit and glasses, stands behind a conductor's podium in the orchestra pit at the Royal Opera House. An ornate balcony and chandeliers are visible in the background as he smiles at the camera.

Speranza Scappucci, Principal Guest Conductor Designate

Speranza Scappucci will begin her tenure as Principal Guest Conductor of The Royal Opera in the 2025/26 Season.

Speranza Scappucci, a female conductor leads an orchestra, holding a baton in her right hand and gesturing expressively with her left. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail, and she wears a black blazer over a dark top. Blurred outlines of darkened seating fill the background.
The Royal Opera performs Il Trovatore onstage. A group of characters dressed as nuns look on as two characters dressed in grey and wearing horns leap around them.

Royal Opera Chorus

Discover more about the Royal Opera Chorus, the backbone of The Royal Opera, founded in 1946.

The JPA artists of the Royal Opera smile for the camera in a group picture.

Jette Parker Artists Programme

Read more about The Royal Opera’s programme to support artists at the beginnings of their careers.

A group of artists rehearsing Alcina at the Royal Opera House.

Staff

Discover more about the team of dedicated professionals committed to bringing world class opera to the stage.

A group of people sit and have a discussion.

Engender

The Royal Opera’s Engender initiative aims to highlight the wealth of female talent both onstage and behind the scenes, and provide a platform for conversations exploring gender in opera today.

History of The Royal Opera

The Royal Opera company was created in 1946 for the reopening of the Royal Opera House after World War II. It was founded as the Covent Garden Opera Company by David Webster and Karl Rankl. The company first appeared during December the same year in Purcell's The Fairy Queen, staged together with Sadler's Wells Ballet (now The Royal Ballet). Its first full-scale opera production was Bizet’s Carmen in January 1947. In 1968 the Company was awarded a Royal Charter and officially became ‘The Royal Opera’.  

Since the construction of the first theater in 1732, opera has been a regular attraction at Covent Garden. Italian, French, German and English Operas all part of the repertory. In recent years, The Royal Opera has given an average of 150 performances per Season of approximately twenty operas. Almost half of these performances feature new productions, highlighting the company's dedication to presenting innovative works. Since 2012 the Company has also curated the Studio Programme in the Linbury Theatre, presenting chamber operas and a range of experimental new commissions from up-and-coming and established composers, including Harrison Birtwistle, Luca Francesconi, Philip Glass and Salvatore Sciarrino.

Patron

HM The King

Director of Opera

Oliver Mears

Music Director Designate

Jakub Hrůša

Principal Guest Conductor Designate

Speranza Scappucci

Director of Casting

Peter Mario Katona

Administrative Director

Cormac Simms

The Royal Opera is one of the world’s leading opera companies. Based in the iconic Covent Garden theatre, it is renowned both for its outstanding performances of traditional opera and for commissioning new works by today’s leading opera composers, and some of the world's most famous singers have performed with the Company.

The Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, founded in 2001, offers exceptionally talented musicians at the start of their careers a tailored programme of coaching and performance opportunities. Many of its graduates are now seen regularly on the international stage.

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Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation, a charitable company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales (Company number 480523) Charity Registered (Number 211775)