Laurence Olivier Award
for Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Awarded forOutstanding Achievement in Opera
Location England
Presented bySociety of London Theatre
First awarded1977
Currently held byAntonio Pappano for music directing the Royal Opera House (2024)
Websiteofficiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/ Edit this at Wikidata

The Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor and director Laurence Olivier.

This award was first presented in 1977, and covers the breadth of a commingled group of specialties, including individual or combinations of: opera companies, orchestras, conductors, composers, singers, stage directors, theatre directors and libretto translators. It served as the only Olivier Award focused solely on opera until the 1993 introduction of the award for Best New Opera Production.

Winners and nominees

1970s

Year Recipient Production
1977
Glyndebourne Festival Opera Don Giovanni
English National Opera Toussaint
The Royal Opera The Ice Break
English National Opera Werther
1978
English National Opera Enterprising Repertoire
Colin Davis The Conduction of The Royal Opera
1979
The Royal Opera The Rake's Progress
The Royal Opera Die Zauberflote
English National Opera Manon
English National Opera The Adventures of Mr Brouček

1980s

Year Recipient Production
1980
English National Opera Così fan tutte
English National Opera Julius Caesar
English National Opera The Turn of the Screw
Kent Opera The Turn of the Screw
1981
The Royal Opera Les contes d’Hoffmann
Welsh National Opera Die Frau ohne Schatten
The Royal Opera Lulu
The Royal Opera Samson et Delilah
1982
English National Opera Rigoletto
Kent Opera Agrippina
The Royal Opera Falstaff
Welsh National Opera I puritani
1986
English National Opera Doktor Faust
Harrison Birtwistle The Mask of Orpheus
Anne Evans The Ring Cycle
Kathryn Harries The Ring Cycle
Stephanos Lazaridis Doktor Faust and The Mikado
1987
English National Opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District
Della Jones The Barber of Seville
The Kirov Opera Orchestra
Carlos Kleiber Otello
Marie McLaughlin Le Nozze di Figaro
Eva Randová Jenůfa
1988
Leontina Vaduva Manon
English National Opera The Magic Flute
English National Opera Billy Budd
English National Opera Hansel and Gretel
The Royal Opera Madama Butterfly
Welsh National Opera Falstaff
1989/90
Komische Oper Berlin Orpheus and Eurydice
The Royal Opera Un re in ascolto
English National Opera Lear
The Garden Venture Survival Song
English National Opera The Love for Three Oranges

1990s

Year Recipient Production
1991
Mark Elder Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Macbeth, Pelléas et Méllisande and Wozzeck
English National Opera Greek
Tim Albery Les Troyens
English National Opera Duke Bluebeard's Castle
The Royal Opera The Cunning Little Vixen
Éva Marton Elektra
1992
The Royal Opera Mitridate, re di Ponto
Harrison Birtwistle Gawain
Simon Boccanegra
English National Opera Figaro's Wedding
English National Opera Peter Grimes
The Garden Venture Out of Season and The Dancer Hotoke
1993
Edward Downes The Fiery Angel and Stiffelio
Bernard Haitink Die Frau ohne Schatten
Philip Langridge Death in Venice
Júlia Várady Der Fliegende Hollander
1994
English National Opera Orchestra Lohengrin and Inquest of Love
Paul Daniel and Opera North Gloriana
Charles Mackerras Tristan und Isolde
Ann Murray Ariodante
1995
Roberto Alagna Roméo et Juliette
Tom Cairns King Priam
Music Theatre London La Traviata
John Tomlinson Das Rheingold and Die Walküre
1996
Bernard Haitink Siegfried and Götterdämmerung
Jonathan Miller Carmen
Bryn Terfel Salome
John Tomlinson Billy Budd and Siegfried
1997
Elgar Howarth Die Soldaten and The Prince of Homburg
Wolfgang Göbbel The Midsummer Marriage and Tristan und Isolde
Karita Mattila Don Carlos
1998
Paul Daniel From the House of the Dead
Alan Opie Falstaff
Nikolaus Leloff, Tobias Moheisel, Bettina J Walker and Mark Henderson Palestrina
Francesca Zambello Paul Bunyan
1999
Royal Opera House Orchestra Le Nozze Di Figaro, The Bartered Bride and The Golden Cockerel
Sandra Ford The Tales of Hoffmann and Mary Stuart
René Jacobs L'Orfeo
Andrew Shore Gianni Schicchi and The Elixir of Love

2000s

Year Recipient Production
2000
English National Opera High Standard of Work
Kim Begley Parsifal
Rosemary Joshua Semele
Bryn Terfel Falstaff
2001
Mark-Anthony Turnage and Amanda Holden The Silver Tassie (London Coliseum)
Gerald Finley The Silver Tassie
The Kirov Opera Season at the Royal Opera House
Stefanos Lazaridis The Greek Passion and English National Opera's Italian Season
2002
Bernard Haitink Jenůfa and The Queen of Spades (and "musical directorship of a season of great distinction by the Royal Opera")
English National Opera From Morning to Midnight, The Rake's Progress, The Rape of Lucretia and War and Peace
Karita Mattila Jenůfa and The Queen of Spades
David Sawer From Morning to Midnight
2003
Antonio Pappano Ariadne auf Naxos and Wozzeck (Royal Opera)
Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu La Rondine
Lisa Saffer Lulu
2004
Cristina Gallardo-Domas Madama Butterfly (title role, Royal Opera)
Simon Keenlyside Hamlet and Die Zauberflote
Bejun Mehta Orlando
Felicity Palmer Elektra and Sweeney Todd
2005
Thomas Adès and the Royal Opera House The Tempest
Ben Heppner Peter Grimes
John MacFarlane Peter Grimes and Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District
Royal Opera House Orchestra Season in London
2006
Simon Keenlyside 1984 and Billy Budd (at Royal Opera & English National Opera)
Sarah Connolly La clemenza di Tito
David McVicar La clemenza di Tito
Anthony Minghella and Carolyn Choa Madama Butterfly
2007
Amanda Roocroft Jenůfa (title role, London Coliseum)
John Mark Ainsley Orfeo
Joyce DiDonato Hercules
John Tomlinson Götterdämmerung
2008
Natalie Dessay La Fille Du Regiment (Marie, Royal Opera)
Gerald Finley Pelléas et Mélisande
Angelika Kirchschlager Pelléas et Mélisande
David McVicar The Turn of the Screw and Agrippina
2009
Edward Gardner Boris Godunov, Cavalliera Rusticana, Der Rosenkavalier, I pagliacci, Riders to the Sea and Punch and Judy (conductor, English National Opera)
Patricia Bardon The Rake's Progress, Partenope and Riders to the Sea
Ferruccio Furlanetto Don Carlos
Christine Rice The Minotaur and Partenope

2010s

Year Recipient Production
2010
Nina Stemme Tristan und Isolde (Isolde, Royal Opera House)
Anja Kampe Der Fliegende Holländer
Stuart Skelton Peter Grimes
Michael Volle Lulu and Tristan und Isolde
2011
Christian Gerhaher Tannhäuser (Wolfram, Royal Opera House)
Andrew Shore The Elixir of Love
Jonas Kaufmann Adriana Lecouvreur
2012
English National Opera Season in London
Amanda Holden Castor et Pollux
Mark-Anthony Turnage Anna Nicole and Twice Through the Heart
Richard Jones Anna Nicole, Il trittico and The Tales of Hoffmann
2013
Bryan Hymel Les Troyens, Robert le diable and Rusalka (performances at the Royal Opera House)
Edward Gardner The Flying Dutchman and Billy Budd
Music Theatre Wales and Scottish Opera In the Locked Room and Ghost Patrol
English National Opera Stage Management
2014
English Touring Opera King Priam and Paul Bunyan
Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flórez La donna del lago
Plácido Domingo Nabucco
2015
Richard Jones Rodelinda, The Girl of the Golden West and The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (at the London Coliseum)
The Chorus Moses und Aron
Jonas Kaufmann Andrea Chénier and Manon Lescaut
Roundhouse and Sam Wanamaker Playhouse L'Orfeo and L'Ormindo
2016
English National Opera Chorus and Orchestra The Force of Destiny, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and The Queen of Spades
Felicity Palmer The Queen of Spades
Antonio Pappano Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci, Guillaume Tell and Król Roger
Tamara Wilson The Force of Destiny
2017
Mark Wigglesworth Don Giovanni and Lulu (at the London Coliseum)
Renée Fleming Der Rosenkavalier
Stuart Skelton Tristan and Isolde
2018
Joyce DiDonato and Daniela Barcellona Semiramide (Royal Opera)
Paul Brown Iolanthe
Roderick Williams The Return of Ulysses
2019
The Ensemble Porgy and Bess (London Coliseum)
David Butt Philip
Roderick Williams 		War Requiem
English National Opera Chorus Paul Bunyan
Andris Nelsons Lohengrin

2020s

Year Nominee Category Production
2020
The Children's Ensemble Performers Noye's Fludde
Martyn Brabbins and James Henshaw Conductors The Mask of Orpheus
The Jette Parker Young Artists Performers Berenice, Death in Venice and Phaedra
2021 Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic[A]
2022[A]
Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra Artistic director and orchestra Bajazet, Irish National Opera and Royal Opera
Christine Rice Performer 4/4
takis Set and costume designer H.M.S. Pinafore
2023
William Kentridge Concept & Direction Sybil
Sinéad Campbell-Watson Performer Tosca by English National Opera
Antony McDonald Designer Alcina by The Royal Opera
2024
Antonio Pappano Music Director The Royal Opera
Belarus Free Theatre Company Theatre Company King Stakh's Wild Hunt
Marina Abramović Concept & Design 7 Deaths of Maria Callas
  1. ^ a b Due to late March 2020[1] to late July 2021[2] closing of London theatre productions during the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the 2022 awards recognise productions that launched anytime from February 2020 to February 2022[3]

References

  1. ^ Johnson, The Rt Hon Boris, MP (2020-03-23). Prime Minister's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 23 March 2020 [transcript] (Speech). Prime Minister's Televised Speech to the United Kingdom. www.gov.uk. London, UK. Archived from the original on 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2022-04-25. From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction — you must stay at home.((cite speech)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ McPhee, Ryan (2021-06-14). "U.K. Postpones Reopening Roadmap; West End Theatres Will No Longer Reopen in Full in June". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2022-04-25. Step 4 of the roadmap will allow productions to play without capacity restrictions. June 21 was the goal; now, the government is eyeing July 19.
  3. ^ Thomas, Sophie (2022-03-08). "Everything you need to know about the Olivier Awards". londontheatre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-25. Any new production that opened between 19 Feb. 2020 to 22 Feb. 2022 are eligible for categories in the 2022 Olivier Awards. With two years worth of shows set for honours in one year's ceremony, the 2022 Olivier Awards will prove tougher competition than before.

External links

Laurence Olivier Awards
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