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'The audiences for Britten's operas', James Conway goes on, 'have really increased dramatically. Some years ago Albert Herring would never have produced strong audiences. But this year our Turn of the Screw was played to full houses!

'I think it's a good thing to do English opera where we can -- if we don't champion English work here, who on earth will? Operas by British composers, and operas with a particular British connection.

'You have to think about your audience, what you can lure them to: Donizetti's Maria Stuarda (planned for spring 2005 sung in English) also seemed a suitable one for us to do; a lot of his opera seria could be just a bit too challenging, but this one feels right -- especially as a fantastic new biography of Mary, Queen of Scots has just come out. Having her as the subject might get people in who wouldn't otherwise come; they know the name. It would be fantastic to do Anna Bolena sometime in the future! -- But you need to ask "Have we got a chance of doing it well?" I don't want to do something that we'll butcher: the company needs the chance to excel.

'You also have to do opera for young people, so as to get them in. I'm thinking of matinée performances, with, say, just six singers and six players. We're already working on that idea for spring and autumn 2005.

'We tend to cast mainly English, or English-based, singers,' Conway adds. 'It's a strong feeling of mine that there are excellent performers here who deserve to be used and employed. But that also includes many fine artists who come here to the UK to train -- a huge number of Aussies and New Zealanders, and quite a lot of Canadians : what's nice is that many of them are staying on here and making a significant contribution to cultural life in the UK. Our Ferrando (in Cosi early next year) is a super Icelandic-born tenor, Gardar Thior Cordes; but he was actually brought up here, in East Anglia, and trained at the Royal Academy. He's recently been back to Reykjavik -- out there he's already known as a bit of a local heartthrob.'

'I go out to the music colleges to see as much opera as I can. They spend a lot of money nowadays on very slick productions, which suggests there might be possibilities for the future -- perhaps for us to work together more closely, and even to co-produce with them.

'Several of our conductors are highly experienced: Michael Rosewell, who did both our successful Britten stagings this year -- A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Turn of the Screw; Peter Robinson, who's conducting the Vixen; Noel Davies for Mary, Queen of Scots; Stuart Stratford, who's done a lot of contemporary, plus Don Giovanni for ENO; and Philip Walsh, who's leading our current Bohème. And there's loads of youthful talent : I could mount perhaps three times as many shows, yet still find young conductors to do them. There are about a dozen extremely capable ones: they've got a lot to offer, and sometimes it can help the singers too: they learn together.'

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