The Olivier Awards were held last night at the Royal Albert Hall, presented for a second time by actress Hannah Waddingham. Recognising excellence in the world of theatre, there are two categories reserved for Opera: Best New Opera Production and Outstanding Achievement in Opera. There were four nominees for the former award, two from ENO and two from the Royal Opera House, these included Blue and The Rhinegold by ENO and Royal Opera House’s productions Picture a Day Like This and Innocence. Innocence took home first prize as Best New Opera Production, directed by Simon Stone with Susanna Mälkki conducting. Sir Antonio Pappano took home the award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for his role at the Royal Opera. This award comes as Pappano celebrates 22 years as Music Director at the RO.

Kaija Saariaho’s Innocence, described as a psychological thriller by the Dutch National Opera explores the devastating impact of a school shooting in Helsinki and the reverberations that follow. It was premiered at the Royal Opera House on May 17 2023.