“Keep Northern Ballet Live!”: the orchestra fights for their live performances

The cost-of-living crisis in the UK is affecting not only social structures but also culture. Even the esteemed Northern Ballet, acclaimed by global critics, is feeling the pinch. The Northern Ballet troupe is raising alarms over the potential replacement of live orchestral performances with recordings. Afisha.London attended a Northern Ballet tour in London to delve into the conflict.

Since autumn 2023, musicians from the Northern Ballet Sinfonia have been campaigning to preserve their touring performances during ballet shows. They fight for live music during performances. The orchestra used to work an average of 30 weeks a year performing live with the ballet company. Now, this has been reduced to about 20-22 weeks and is rapidly decreasing, potentially down to just four weeks a year.

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 “We want the experience of enjoying ballet to be accompanied by live music, whether on the main stage or our fantastic children’s ballets, which are performed in smaller theatres and community centres. We aim to maintain live music wherever possible, but we are in a very challenging financial position,” — explains Northern Ballet Executive Director David Collins explains.

Currently, at the end of performances, when the ballet dancers take their bows to thunderous applause, musicians in the orchestra pit raise signs for the audience with the message “Keep Northern Ballet Live!” and a QR code leading to a petition. The petition is addressed to the ballet’s management, board of directors, and the head of Arts Council England, Darren Henley.

The petition states that Northern Ballet has already reduced part of its touring work due to funding cuts, and now the orchestra faces potential layoffs and replacement by a recording company. Some musicians have already been forced to rely on food banks to survive.

“We, the undersigned, urge you to come to the table and agree on a realistic funding package that protects our jobs and keeps Northern Ballet alive. Funding has not significantly changed since 2015. In the biggest cost-of-living crisis in decades, with inflation at record levels, this represents a significant real-term funding cut. As a result, musicians’ jobs are at stake,” — the petition reads.

“Arts Council obviously has a role to play in these negotiations. The big existential question is, do we want to have live ballet and opera in the UK? Yes, we do,” — says Naomi Pohl, General Secretary of the Musicians’ Union.

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Cultural institutions often rely on petitions to draw attention to their issues. For example, in 2022, the English National Opera was threatened with the loss of its grant if it did not leave the legendary London Coliseum and move outside London. The petition garnered over 80,000 signatures, which Afisha.London detailed in a separate article.

If you want to support Northern Ballet and live music, sign the petition at the link.

Cover photo: © Northern Ballet Limited / Tristram Kenton

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