Annilese Miskimmon has been appointed Artistic Director of English National Opera. Miskimmon, who hails from Bangor in Northern Ireland, is currently Director of Opera at the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo. She will assume the new position at ENO, taking over from Daniel Kramer, next year.

Miskimmon studied English Literature at Christ’s College, Cambridge, and Arts Management at City University, London. She has previously held artistic directorships at Danish National Opera and Opera Theatre Company Ireland. She will remain Oslo’s Director of Opera until the end of the 2019/20 season, officially starting at ENO on September 1 next year. As early as January 1, however, she will begin shaping ENO’s future seasons while still honouring her commitments in Oslo. She will make the permanent move to London in time for ENO’s 2020/21 season.

Kramer announced he was stepping down from the post of Artistic Director, which he began in 2016 (replacing John Berry), earlier this year to focus on a freelance career. This makes Miskimmon the company’s third Artistic Director – and the only female artistic leader of a major British opera company.

Her appointment has been welcomed by the entire administrative team at ENO, not least Music Director Martyn Brabbins: ‘I look forward very much to working alongside Annilese in planning future seasons at ENO,’ he said. ‘Her integrity as a colleague and artistic tastes and experiences will be the ideal match for today’s ENO.’ 

His enthusiasm is shared by Miskimmon herself: ‘I am honoured and delighted to be joining ENO, a company whose consistently ambitious and thrilling work I have loved for all my opera-going life,’ she said. ‘It has been a great privilege to lead Norway’s national opera company over the past three years and it’s an equal joy to now join ENO.’