Welsh opera company receives huge financial boost

A Welsh opera company has received a huge grant through a special fund which will allow them to stage new projects.

Music Theatre Wales has been awarded a grant of £100,000 from the Colwinston Charitable Trust 30th Anniversary Fund.

Music Theatre Wales (MTW) aims to breathe new life into opera, presenting it as storytelling in music that relates to the world around us. They are working with artists who bring new stories to opera, igniting the power and passion of opera for a much wider audience.

This grant is one of 11 awards being made through the Colwinston Charitable Trust 30th Anniversary Fund. The grant is being awarded to MTW to support the development and production of two brand new projects in collaboration with Britten Pears Arts and Glyndebourne in 2027.

Further details of these two new projects will be announced next year.

The Special Fund was launched to mark the 30th Anniversary of the Trust and to celebrate innovation, excellence, creative expression and the art of storytelling, be it through music, opera, performance, visual arts, exhibitions, or the written word.

Applications were invited from arts organisations delivering ambitious, innovative and high-profile projects that help people appreciate the endless possibilities the arts can offer and that are designed to achieve ultimate impact and enjoyment for audiences.

Music Theatre Wales Artistic Director, Michael McCarthy said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been successful in our application to Colwinston Charitable Trust and to be awarded this support which will enable us to continue to create exceptional opera experiences for audiences in the future.

“We would like to say a huge thanks to the Colwinston team. It is hugely uplifting to be given such an endorsement in these challenging times as we look to the future of the art form we love. We are excited to be able to begin the collaboration with Britten Pears Arts and Glyndebourne and can’t wait to get plans underway.”

Founder and Chair of Colwinston Charitable Trust, Mathew Prichard said: “The Colwinston Trust is delighted to celebrate 30 years of working with many high quality arts organisations across the UK by awarding a special Anniversary Grant to support a new strategic collaboration and the development of new opera by Music Theatre Wales in partnership with Britten Pears Arts and Glyndebourne/

“To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Trust we wanted to celebrate creative expression and the art of storytelling, be it through music, opera, performance, visual arts, exhibitions, or the written word. The Trust launched this special £1,000,000 fund to celebrate innovation and excellence in the Arts, and to support projects designed to achieve ultimate impact and enjoyment for audiences.

“My Grandmother spent her life being enthralled by the Arts. She loved being entertained by so many different art forms. I remain grateful to all the Arts practitioners who continue to bring her work to life and have enabled the Colwinston Trust to be involved with projects that I think would have been close to her heart. It is my ambition that the 30th anniversary fund will continue to encourage this to happen.”