The Welsh National Opera has received the 2024 Sky Arts Award for Opera for its production of Britten's Death in Venice which premiered earlier in the year. Held last night at London's Roundhouse, mezzo Aigul Akhmetshina was also recognised and awarded the Times Breakthrough Artist of the Year award.

Directed by Olivia Fuchs the production of Death in Venice was a collaboration with Cardiff-based company NoFit State, and saw a mixture of acrobatics and other circus elements interweaved throughout the opera. Opera Now's Adrian Mourby said of the production: 'Most major opera companies in Britain handle the music very well ... so it is left to directors to turn a well sung, well played experience into something exceptional and this is what Olivia Fuchs and the NoFit State company achieved.'

Mezzo Aigul Akhmetshina, who this year has taken to the stages of Glyndebourne and the Royal Opera in their productions of Carmen, was awarded the Times Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award. The award looks across the 11 categories for an upcoming artist of note. In her speech, Akhmetshina said: 'I truly believe that art brings people together ... Let's do what we do and spread kindness and love by art.'

Other nominated operatic achievements included the Royal Opera for its production of Wozzeck and English National Opera for it's body of works from last season.