English Touring Opera will relocate its offices to Sheffield by the end of October 2024 as part of the Arts Council England Transfer Programme.
This follows the controversy over the plans to move some of the English National Opera's operations outside London, after ACE withdrew its funding until it agreed to do so. However, ETO said that, "85% of ETO’s work already takes place outside of London, and therefore exploring options as part of the Arts Council England Transfer Programme was a natural extension of the company’s mission to make exceptional artistic experiences available to all."
It added, "ETO already has existing links with Sheffield built through its regular visits to Sheffield Theatres on its tours and work with the Sheffield Music Hub and partner schools in the area. This move allows the company to deepen its relationship with Sheffield Theatres and work closely with new partner organisations such as Music in the Round in broadening the scope of their work and introduce new audiences to opera."
The company will move to temporary offices in Sheffield by October, then move there permanently in 2025. Touring shows will continue to rehearse and open at Hackney Empire with a view to moving this to Sheffield as well by spring 2026.