Garsington Opera's current director of artistic administration, Laura Canning, is to be Opera North’s first new general director and CEO in almost 30 years.
Laura will succeed Richard Mantle OBE (pictured right), who took over the company in 1994 after being deputy managing director of English National Opera and previously boss of Edmonton Opera in Canada and Scottish Opera.
Laura’s operatic career spans 25 years: she was artistic administrator at Welsh National Opera until 2008, and then studio director for Houston Grand Opera in Texas, where she created a new vocal academy for undergraduate singers.
Laura joined the leadership team at Garsington – a country house summer festival in the Chilterns which produces four shows a year – in 2015. Laura will formally take up her role in Leeds on December 4 – three days after the official retirement of Richard Mantle, and after a transition period for them both and the company this autumn.
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