Martyn Brabbins has resigned with immediate effect as Music Director of English National Opera. The move follows an internal announcement made by ENO last week of proposed cuts to the orchestra and chorus from the 2024/5 season, as the organisation continues to address the impact of the removal of its annual funding by Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation.

'As Music Director of English National Opera for the past seven years, and Head of its orchestra, chorus and music staff, I cannot in all conscience continue to support the Board and Management's strategy for the future of the company,' wrote Brabbins in a statement issued via his agent on Sunday evening. 'While my feelings on this have been developing for some time, it reached its nadir this week, with the internal announcement of severe cuts to its orchestra and chorus from 2024/25 season. In protest, this afternoon I tendered my resignation with immediate effect.'

ENO has found itself facing great uncertainty for almost a year, since in November 2022 it became the highest-profile organisation to have its ACE annual funding removed – specifically a £12.6m core annual grant, which was replaced with £17m over three years contingent on the London-based company moving its activities to another part of the UK. Since then ENO has been offered an additional grant of £24m over three years, as well as been given more time to leave London.

'Although making cuts has been necessitated by Arts Council England's interference in the company's future, the proposed changes would drive a coach and horses through the artistic integrity of the whole of ENO as a performing company, while also singularly failing to protect our musicians’ livelihoods,' continued Brabbins.

'This is a plan of managed decline, rather than an attempt to rebuild the company and maintain the world-class artistic output, for which ENO is rightly famed.'

‘I urge ACE to reassess this situation and recognise the devastating implications their funding decisions will have on the lives of individual musicians, as well the reputation of the UK on the international stage.'

In response, ENO has issued a statement in which it said it was 'disappointed' by the decision. 'The ENO is surprised that Martyn Brabbins has decided to end his tenure as Music Director so abruptly,' the statement said. 'As a member of the ENO’s senior leadership, Martyn has been party to all key discussions at all stages and the extremely difficult decisions that have to be made by the Board and Management in constrained financial circumstances.

'After nine months of negotiation with Arts Council England, the ENO has reached a position where we are confident we can maintain a substantial level of operatic work – as opposed to the original reality of total redundancy across the entire company (following Art Council England’s previous decision to remove the ENO as a National Portfolio Organisation in November 2022).

'As recorded in Board minutes, an all-staff meeting and in correspondence with Management and the Board, Martyn agreed that the position reached with Arts Council England in July 2023 provides a workable outcome,' the ENO statement continued. 'As the ENO’s musical leader, we are disappointed that Martyn has chosen to resign rather than support the company by engaging with the process of creating a sustainable future for the ENO.'