Breaking news ! Tony Hall has been named Director General of the BBC, in the major upheaval that's taking place. He's always been a hands-on leader, so his departure from the Royal Opera House might mean big changes there too. Here's the statement :
Following today's announcement by the BBC Trust regarding the appointment
of Tony Hall as the next Director-General of the BBC, Simon Robey,
Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Royal Opera House, has made the
following statement:
"I was not surprised when the BBC turned to Tony to lead them through
their current difficulties. They see, as we do, his qualities of
leadership and his depth of relevant experience. I can think of nobody
better able to bring stability back to the BBC.
"Tony has been a truly distinguished Chief Executive of the Royal Opera
House. He has been a tremendous and inspiring force for good. The ROH he
will leave in March is very different to the one he took over in 2001. We
have a world-class senior team, both artistic and non-artistic, led by
Antonio Pappano, Kasper Holten and Kevin O'Hare. Our artistic standards
and reputation have never been higher and are unsurpassed around the
world. Many, many more people see the extraordinary work of both companies
through audience development programmes, ticket pricing initiatives and
digital and cinema distribution. We have a very large and impactful
education and community engagement programme and we are now a beacon of
best practice in the arts sector. We are financially stable and we have
changed the mix of our funding so that our ACE grant (now down from 40% to
about 25% of our income) and our philanthropic revenue is broadly in
balance. Tony deserves credit for all of this and we now face the future,
with its inevitable challenges and opportunities, with strong foundations
and very broad and loyal support.
"Speaking personally, I will miss him tremendously. He has been an
outstanding colleague and friend, as I know he has been to many others at
the Royal Opera House. "We will turn immediately to finding a worthy successor. I am confident
that this exceptional place will continue to be led by an exceptional
person. "There will be good occasions to celebrate Tony's extraordinary
contribution to the Opera House over the coming weeks and, of course, we
all look forward to welcoming him back to the opera and ballet house he
loves so much as a treasured member of our audience for years to enable us to get opera way
beyond the Opera House auditorium into homes and cinemas around the world.
"He's been a great friend and colleague and whilst this is a fantastic
opportunity for him to return to the BBC - and I can think of no better
person for the BBC - we will miss him hugely here."
Kasper Holten, Director of Opera said "Congratulations to the BBC. They
are very lucky. Tony is the most inspirational leader I have ever worked
for. He will be sorely missed at the ROH and by me personally, but I am
excited for him about this, and I am sure he will do a fantastic job.
"Tony's importance for Royal Opera House cannot be underestimated and he
has managed to create an incredible platform for us to do our artistic
work and take opera forward."
Kevin O'Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet said "Tony's genuine love for
ballet and dance has been a huge advantage for The Royal Ballet. He's
done so much, not only for this Company, but for dance in general through
the Dance Review and support for the sector. I feel privileged to have
worked with him, both in my previous roles and now as Director of The
Royal Ballet. He's been an inspiration and a great support to me over the
years, and has been fundamental to our programme of new initiatives to
bring ballet to a wider audience. He's also been a great friend to me and
to many people in the building. We will all miss him."
"He's been a great friend and colleague and whilst this is a fantastic
opportunity for him to return to the BBC - and I can think of no better
person for the BBC - we will miss him hugely here."
Following today's announcement by the BBC Trust regarding the appointment
of Tony Hall as the next Director-General of the BBC, Simon Robey,
Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Royal Opera House, has made the
following statement:
"I was not surprised when the BBC turned to Tony to lead them through
their current difficulties. They see, as we do, his qualities of
leadership and his depth of relevant experience. I can think of nobody
better able to bring stability back to the BBC.
"Tony has been a truly distinguished Chief Executive of the Royal Opera
House. He has been a tremendous and inspiring force for good. The ROH he
will leave in March is very different to the one he took over in 2001. We
have a world-class senior team, both artistic and non-artistic, led by
Antonio Pappano, Kasper Holten and Kevin O'Hare. Our artistic standards
and reputation have never been higher and are unsurpassed around the
world. Many, many more people see the extraordinary work of both companies
through audience development programmes, ticket pricing initiatives and
digital and cinema distribution. We have a very large and impactful
education and community engagement programme and we are now a beacon of
best practice in the arts sector. We are financially stable and we have
changed the mix of our funding so that our ACE grant (now down from 40% to
about 25% of our income) and our philanthropic revenue is broadly in
balance. Tony deserves credit for all of this and we now face the future,
with its inevitable challenges and opportunities, with strong foundations
and very broad and loyal support.
"Speaking personally, I will miss him tremendously. He has been an
outstanding colleague and friend, as I know he has been to many others at
the Royal Opera House. "We will turn immediately to finding a worthy successor. I am confident
that this exceptional place will continue to be led by an exceptional
person. "There will be good occasions to celebrate Tony's extraordinary
contribution to the Opera House over the coming weeks and, of course, we
all look forward to welcoming him back to the opera and ballet house he
loves so much as a treasured member of our audience for years to enable us to get opera way
beyond the Opera House auditorium into homes and cinemas around the world.
"He's been a great friend and colleague and whilst this is a fantastic
opportunity for him to return to the BBC - and I can think of no better
person for the BBC - we will miss him hugely here."
Kasper Holten, Director of Opera said "Congratulations to the BBC. They
are very lucky. Tony is the most inspirational leader I have ever worked
for. He will be sorely missed at the ROH and by me personally, but I am
excited for him about this, and I am sure he will do a fantastic job.
"Tony's importance for Royal Opera House cannot be underestimated and he
has managed to create an incredible platform for us to do our artistic
work and take opera forward."
Kevin O'Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet said "Tony's genuine love for
ballet and dance has been a huge advantage for The Royal Ballet. He's
done so much, not only for this Company, but for dance in general through
the Dance Review and support for the sector. I feel privileged to have
worked with him, both in my previous roles and now as Director of The
Royal Ballet. He's been an inspiration and a great support to me over the
years, and has been fundamental to our programme of new initiatives to
bring ballet to a wider audience. He's also been a great friend to me and
to many people in the building. We will all miss him."
"He's been a great friend and colleague and whilst this is a fantastic
opportunity for him to return to the BBC - and I can think of no better
person for the BBC - we will miss him hugely here."
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