Welsh National Opera

The Welsh National Opera ( WNO ) ( walis.: Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru ) is an opera company, which was founded in 1946 in Cardiff, Wales. It is composed of an Orchestra ( The Orchestra of Welsh National Opera) and a professional choir ( The Chorus of Welsh National Opera).

The company spends 120 performances of eight operas and leads tours in the UK. The annual number of spectators in the venues Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Llandudno, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, Southampton and Swansea amounts to over 150,000. Since 2004, the company is in the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff resident and uses the building for their performances.

Most opera productions of the Company were first listed in English translation, from 1970, in the original language with subtitles. To the previous music directors of the Company include Vilém Tausky, Warwick Braithwaite, Sir Richard Armstrong and Sir Charles Mackerras. Musical Director since 2009 is Lothar Koenigs.