English National Opera

English National Opera is one of the world’s most innovative and accessible opera companies with an international reputation for distinctive, contemporary and highly theatrical productions.

Schools can book to see our performances at the Coliseum. ENO offers brilliant experiences for state-funded school groups at affordable prices through our Enjoy Opera scheme, our discounted ticket scheme for state-funded school groups. It offers school groups the opportunity to attend ENO productions at the London Coliseum for only £8 a ticket. 

We hope you will be tempted to bring a group to our beautiful theatre in the heart of London’s West End - find out more about Enjoy Opera >

Education

Our work with young people focuses on 11-25 year olds - we work with the formal education sector and with informal networks such as youth clubs, arts hubs and partner organisations.

Our multi-discipline programme for secondary schools is inspired by ENO's artistic programme.

Our programme opens up the music, staging and ideas behind productions, prepares groups to see work at the London Coliseum, and supports curriculum learning and creative skills development. 

We nurture talent, critical thinking and creativity, and inspire curiosity for opera and its component parts, as part of our commitment to diversity within the sector (on and off stage) and within our audiences.

We work closely with secondary schools across London in a variety of ways, tailoring activities to respond to each school's needs. Our programme includes:

Opera Squad

Our flagship programme takes musicians and singers directly into schools to introduce the whole school to live music and opera. Find out more about Opera Squad >. ENO Opera Squad partner schools can access free tickets to our dress rehearsals.

Visits to the London Coliseum: talks and tours

We encourage visits to the London Coliseum, with opportunities to watch rehearsals and performances, tour the backstage area and making departments, and meet members of the company. Our talks and tours support curriculum modules for students studying vocational performing arts, music or technical theatre courses (A-level, BTEC courses). Site visits at the London Coliseum are tailored offer students an insight into working in the performing arts, both behind the scenes and on stage as well as highlighting career pathways in the performing arts. 

Cross-discipline projects 

Led by ENO artists to celebrate the component parts of opera, making connections  between opera and other art forms, stimulating critical and creative thinking, communication and collaborative skills and using opera as a means to reflect on and make sense of the world we live in.  

Some projects take the form of stimulus workshops on specific productions for teachers and student groups to enrich course modules taught within the curriculum (for example, art, design, drama, music, English, citizenship).

Projects and workshops

We deliver skills training workshops and cross discipline creative projects that are inspired by our artistic programme, opening windows into our work by exploring the stories we tell on stage and the ideas behind our productions. Our programme celebrates the multi disciplinary nature of opera and encompasses a range of subjects including Music, Drama, English, Art, Design and Technology.