Tantrums and Tiaras – Behind the Scenes at the Royal Opera House

Wednesday 4 December 2013 at 2.00 pm

Nigel Bates

Nigel worked as a performer for over 30 years in and out of London’s Royal Opera House.  In 2010, Nigel was appointed to the position of General Manager at 2MBS-FM, Sydney’s fine music broadcaster where he worked until the middle of 2011, steering the radio station through a process of change.  Nigel is now back in the UK undertaking performances with London’s many orchestras and ensembles, as well as speaking engagements across the country.  In 2012 he was a producer for BBC Classical Music TV’s Maestro at the Opera and in early 2013 he was appointed Music Administrator for The Royal Ballet. Further information on Nigel is available on his own website.

In his lecture, Nigel Bates takes a look at the life backstage at London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the tribulations and triumphs of working with the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet companies.   Simply putting on the performances is not enough – there has to be encouragement for the audience to spend quite large amounts of money to attend a performance.  We look at the way artistic inspirations, the people involved and the unique building all function together to create world-class opera and ballet in a unique environment.

Below are photos of this lecture