We've got great news to share! Birmingham Opera Company's production of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk picked up the 2019 Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Opera & Music Theatre!

So it's official, we're the best! Selected from all opera productions of 2019 and fighting off stiff competition from an impressive shortlist of three - The Royal Opera, Covent Garden and Irish National Opera - the judges chose Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.

The judges said: "Another sensational production from Birmingham Opera Company embracing and embedding its community in world-class work. This is the kind of thing we all wish we were doing – a model to us all in being ambitious and truly going for it. It delivers the pure drama and emotional punch of opera without gimmicks – the audience feels right inside it, and it proves how resonant, inclusive and exciting opera is."

The winners were announced in London on 28 November 2019. A massive shout-out to everyone involved. We won this together.  

"Thank you to the tens of thousands of people in Birmingham who've been part of our work in the last thirty years" - Graham Vick, Artistic Director

Read more about Lady Macbeth, including production shots and film clips. (It's in English, but we just love it when Eric Greene, playing the Father in Law, sings "s'il vous plaît, rendez-vous" - check it out!)

Download the free e-book or check out the chat on twitter! @BirminghamOpera

Take part 

Did you know that over 150 Brummies performed in Lady Macbeth, alongside international soloists, emerging UK artists and the mighty CBSO? Yep, if you'd like to be in a future production, or want to find out more, check out this page. It's totally free to be part of it. 

Support us 

We're super-grateful to Arts Council England, Birmingham City Council and the many Trusts, Foundations and individuals who generously support our work. If you want to experience more world-class opera that inspires thousands from Birmingham and beyond, make a donation. 

Chrystal E Williams as The Wife in Lady Macbeth

Other awards 

Birmingham Opera Company won the RPS Award for Opera and Music Theatre (Best New Production) in 2012 for Mittwoch aus Licht, and the International Opera Award for Best New Production in 2015 for Khovanskygate.

Going way back, we won the RPS Award for Audience Development for our 2001 production of Berg's Votzek in a derelict warehouse in Ladywood, and a South Bank Show Award for our 2002 production of Fidelio in a large tent in Aston Park.

We've been a winner and finalist in numerous awards recognising our exceptional record in engaging new audiences and creating ground-breaking productions. Birmingham Opera Company won the RPS Award for Audience Development for La traviata in 2007 and was a finalist for: the International Opera Award for World Premiere 2013 (Mittwoch aus Licht), the RPS Award for Audiences and Engagement 2015 (Khovanskygate), 2016 (The Ice Break) and 2017 (Dido and Aeneas #DnA) and the International Opera Awards 2016 in two categories – Rediscovered Work and Accessibility – for Michael Tippett's The Ice Break. In 2015, the Company was a finalist for the South Bank Show Sky Arts Award for Opera.