The London Coliseum, home of the English National Opera

The English National Opera (ENO) is London's second opera company, after the Royal Opera at Covent Garden. It is well-known for attracting talented lesser-known singers and for its productions being sung in English.

The ENO was established in its current form in 1974; in previous incarnations it was known as the Vic-Wells and then later Sadler-Wells Opera Company.

In 1968, the ENO (then Sadler's-Wells) moved into the London Coliseum Theatre, London's largest and best equipped theatre dating from 1904.

In 1984, the ENO was the first British opera company to tour the United States. In 1990, the ENO was the first major foreign opera company to tour the former Soviet Union.

The ENO currently mounts twenty productions a year with an annual audience of 450,000.

During extensive renovations of the Coliseum, the ENO performed in the Barbican Arts Centre, returning to the Coliseum in 2004.

External links

• ENO web site (http://www.eno.org/)
• ENO site - ENO history (http://www.eno.org/abouteno/history.php)