Opera in crisis: leaders warn sector issues go beyond funding woes

For Thomas and a number of other leading figures in opera and classical music, progress on diversity and inclusion cannot be postponed until the sector weathers its economic challenges, but rather is essential to its continued existence. 

Thomas, in particular, highlighted the "barrage of abuse" suffered by women working in opera.

She said: "The critical response to the way that any feminist interpretation gets greeted with has forced [opera] to give us a flatter representation of what women are.”

Describing the abuse she had seen female directors subjected to in reviews of opera, Thomas argued: "Women are not allowed to fail. They don’t get a second chance. Men are allowed to fail over and over again."

Thomas went on to detail how numerous female singers whom she was directing expressed gratitude to be able to discuss their characters with her during rehearsal, having often had direction that focused on their appearance.

"I do think things are positively changing," Thomas continued. "I can see women being prioritised now as directors and conductors. But maybe one day a woman director will be absolutely able to just talk about art, not just about being a woman."

This is a concern shared by Opera North general director and chief executive Laura Canning.

"Without question I have seen clear and unpleasant sexual harassment," she told The Stage, "but I’m not sure that that’s because I’m in opera. It’s everywhere." 

Canning commended a "huge increase" in female directors, but added that "from a race perspective, we have much further to go".

She also identified persisting sexism in opera reviews, particularly productions aiming to find a feminist approach to classic work. 

"We are at the tail end of a generation of opera critics who don’t question how much of their opinions are internalised misogyny rather than a genuine reaction to what is in front of them," Canning said. "No criticism to them – it wasn’t what they were asked to do at the time of learning their trade. But it has to change."

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Musicians’ Union general secretary Naomi Pohl agreed this was a particular area of concern.

Despite noting more conversations about inclusivity within the sector, Pohl told The Stage that sexual harassment was still a "live issue", and that she still sees "regular reports" to the MU’s Safe Space service, where musicians can share instances of gender-based discrimination.

Pohl’s comments follow a survey by the MU earlier this year, which revealed that half of women in music have experienced gender-based discrimination, with a third alleging they have been sexually harassed.

Pohl also identified a lack of progress on the inclusion of disabled musicians in orchestras. 

"It feels depressingly like the sector can only take on trying to improve things for one group of people at a time," she said. "Inclusion is about equality for everyone."

Pohl added: "The fact is there are people in positions of power who want to protect their positions of power. There is a will to change, but it takes time, and actually sometimes it takes people stepping aside in order for new voices to come through, and people aren’t very inclined to do that.

"The orchestral sector and the opera and ballet sectors are facing a funding crisis at the moment, which might mean that the focus is not really on changing the culture but just on survival. But that’s not an excuse. We still need to do this important work."

For founder and artistic director of Tête à Tête and former chair of the Opera Music Theatre Forum, Bill Bankes-Jones, ACE’s recent analysis was not a surprise.

He told The Stage: "Opera at scale has cultivated an audience that is drawn to stories of women being tormented by men. This is really problematic, but the claim is ‘we can’t [stage] new opera because our audience doesn’t want it.’ They’re stuck in a rut.

"Opera is also, and probably all of us are, institutionally racist, but it’s full of very nice people who would be horrified to be called institutionally racist. We can’t see it; we can’t understand it."

Meanwhile, Roger Wilson, director of operations of Black Lives in Music, commended the sector’s recent "energy" towards increasing its diversity, but added that on May 25, 2025, the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, which sparked the Black Lives Matter movement, he wanted BLIM to take stock of the sector’s progress.

"I think we’ll see some organisations that have reflected and made some change, and others that are still hiding," he said.

Wilson also urged that progress towards racial equality not preclude efforts to include other marginalised groups in classical music. 

"I’ve worked in every West End pit in London," he told The Stage, "and I can’t think or more than two or three that are wheelchair accessible, still now. I don’t hear anyone talking about it, I don’t hear anyone saying we must sort this out."