Welsh National Opera is set to receive £755,000 of the new funding. Image credit: Adam Gasson/PA Media Assignments
The MU welcomes the news that 60 arts organisations in Wales will get a share of £3.6m funding from Arts Council Wales, supported by the Welsh Government.
Welsh National Opera (WNO) will get the largest share of the funding, marking a significant step towards securing the future of its orchestra and members.
Welsh National Opera will receive £755,000 of the new funding
WNO is set to receive £755,000 of the new funding, which is important to support the company’s finances and protect jobs while the union’s negotiations with WNO continue.
The MU is also continuing to call for further discussions on a longer term sustainable funding package to secure WNO’s future, including a full time, fully staffed orchestra, and touring across England and Wales.
Funding for organisations such as Trac Cymru and Mid Wales Opera is also positive. The new Jobs Protection and Resilience Fund includes £1.5m previously announced, plus additional funding from Arts Council Wales reserves and the Welsh Government.
Recognising the tireless work of our members in the WNO Orchestra
MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl said: “This additional funding is extremely welcome at a very challenging time for the music and arts sector in Wales.
"We’re grateful to the Arts Council of Wales, the First Minister, and the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership for their engagement with us on the issues at WNO and elsewhere in Welsh music over the past few months.
"I also want to recognise the tireless work of our members in the WNO Orchestra, and my colleagues who have supported them. They have fought incredibly hard for their organisation, not just to protect their own jobs but recognising the threat posed to Welsh culture as a whole and the future talent pipeline for musicians.
Their industrial action has raised awareness of the scale of the company’s problems and there’s no doubt that this played a large part in securing the additional funding. We are also heartened by the public support for our campaign from the thousands of people who understand the importance of WNO, with over 13,500 signatures for our petition.
"This additional funding is an important step towards securing the future of WNO and our members’ jobs in the orchestra. We will continue to engage urgently with the company’s management team to ensure a bright future for opera in Wales.”
There are still widespread problems across arts and culture in Wales
Andy Warnock, MU Regional Organiser for Wales & South West England commented: “This funding is good news for WNO and other organisations across Wales, although we know that the situation remains challenging for them and our members.
"The widespread problems across arts and culture in Wales reflect the cuts to arts and culture funding over the past 14 years. While we recognise that the overall financial situation in Wales remains challenging, we hope that the record settlement for Wales secured this autumn with a Labour government in Westminster will enable an overall increase in funding for culture in Wales.
"We trust that WNO will use this significant additional funding carefully and prudently to stabilise the organisation’s position and protect jobs as we continue our negotiations with the incoming co-directors in the new year.”
Jo Laverty, MU National Organiser for Orchestras, added: "While we're pleased about this news on the Jobs Protection and Resilience Fund and the funding for WNO, we still have a long way to go in our negotiations and fight to protect the company and jobs. We also want to express our solidarity for our Equity colleagues in the WNO chorus. We're pleased to have been working alongside them on the campaign to protect WNO and they have our full support in their negotiations with the company."
Back musicians campaigning to protect WNO
Musicians in the Welsh National Opera are campaigning to protect jobs and touring in both Wales and England.
Add your voice to the call:
Sign the petition now
The campaign has been endorsed by not-for-profit actor Michael Sheen, who shared his solidarity with WNO musicians on social media.