Chair Of Trustees

OperaUpClose is a national touring opera company with storytelling, partnership and innovation at its heart. Intimate in scale and mighty in impact.
More about us:
Founded by Robin Norton Hale in 2009, OperaUpClose immediately established itself as a fresh new voice for opera, winning the 2011 Olivier Award for Best Opera Production for our inaugural production of La Bohème. We have grown from this first production in a 35- seat theatre above a pub; to the opera company with the widest geographical reach pre- pandemic; to the only full-time resident opera company in the South West, working with multi-artform collaborators from our home at the dynamic cultural hub MAST, Southampton.
In April 2023 OperaUpClose was, for the first time, included in Arts Council England’s National Portfolio, a powerful and transformative endorsement of our exciting and ambitious artistic plans. We are also generously supported by a network of Trusts, Foundations and individual supporters. Our Artistic Director/CEO, Flora McIntosh, is providing fantastic executive and artistic leadership to our small, directly-employed core team. We also work with diverse groups of freelance creative and production talent on all our productions.
Our status as a National Portfolio Organisation, and our base at MAST in Southampton, provide a brilliant foundation from which to grow the impact of our work at both a local and national scale.
What we're looking for:
OperaUpClose is now seeking a new Chair of Trustees who is passionate about bringing high quality opera to new and under-served audiences and who has the skills and networks to lead the Board as we embrace new opportunities. We are looking for someone who shares our vision and can help us achieve our current goals, including in the area of fundraising, and support the company to deliver on its commitments to greater diversity and sustainability. The company is thriving and at a thrilling point of evolution, so we are looking for someone who can build on our excellent reputation, using this great platform to help take the company to the next level.
We are always looking to build the diversity of our Board and would be particularly pleased to hear from candidates who identify as disabled or who come from a global majority heritage.
Ideally, we would like our new Chair of Trustees to be based in or have strong connections with the South West of England.
Role summary:
The Chair is responsible for providing effective leadership of the Board and ensuring it works in accordance with the company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association and governance framework. Working with the CEO/Artistic Director, the Chair leads the Trustees in setting strategic direction, monitoring progress and ensuring that the company’s activities focus on advancing our charitable purposes and strategic goals. They lead the Board in providing support and appropriate challenge to the staff team, and support the staff in maintaining a network of relationships with key supporters, funders and other stakeholders.
They also play an active role in supporting our fundraising and development objectives. The Chair supports and performance manages the Artistic Director/CEO and maintains regular liaison with her. They also lead by example, ensuring our values our reflected in how we work.
The Chair is normally required to spend the equivalent of two days a month on the role.
How to apply:
For full information on the recruitment process and how to apply please see our Chair of Trustees pack, attached here, or click Apply Now, and you will be taken to our website.
If you would like an informal conversation about the role with a member of the Nominations Committee in advance of applying, please contact Matthew Lyons at trustees@operaupclose.com.
The deadline for applications is 9am on Monday 8 April 2024 with interviews on Friday 26 April 2024.
If you have any other questions, queries or need the application form in a different format please email info@operaupclose.com. We look foward to speaking to you soon.