Welsh National Opera (WNO) has announced a significant leadership change with the appointment of opera and theatre director Adele Thomas and creative producer Sarah Crabtree as the company’s joint General Directors and CEOs, starting in January 2025. This follows the announcement of former CEO Aidan Lang’s retirement from the company last September.

Thomas and Crabtree have shared their enthusiasm for their new roles, stating, “We are passionate exponents of the power of opera; the impact of the raw, unadulterated voice, its profound liveness, and its dedication to scale that enables us to tell the great stories of our time … We want to bring a new, diverse audience to opera in Wales and beyond while respecting and nurturing WNO’s existing loyal audience. We have a shared commitment to transformational change and a drive to nurture the artform of opera to its next stage of development, particularly given the challenges that the industry has faced in recent years. At the heart of our philosophy is a deeply held belief in the democratic spirit in which WNO was founded and still holds today: that opera is for everyone.”

Adele Thomas has rapidly become a prominent figure in the opera world since directing her first opera in 2017. She has since directed numerous acclaimed theatre and opera productions, including those for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the Royal Opera in London. Thomas, who hails from Port Talbot in Wales, is currently preparing to direct WNO’s upcoming production of Verdi’s Rigoletto, which is set to premiere at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff this September before touring to several cities.

Sarah Crabtree has served as the Creative Producer and head of the Linbury Theatre at The Royal Ballet and Opera since 2017, where she has developed a strong reputation for curating bold and accessible opera programmes. Before her tenure at the Royal Opera, Crabtree was with Opera Holland Park from 2005 to 2016.

Yvette Vaughan Jones, Chair of WNO’s Board, shared her enthusiasm for the new appointments, saying, “I am delighted that Adele and Sarah will be joint Co-General Directors and CEOs of WNO. They represent the future and understand the potential of opera for future generations. Their vision for the Company’s future is incredibly exciting. They know precisely what is required to advance WNO and the steps the opera industry must take, especially given the complex and challenging environment we are navigating. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our Interim General Director, Christopher Barron, for his dedication since joining the Company. Chris will remain with us until the end of September.”