The Royal Opera, under the direction of Antonio Pappano, is one of the world's leading opera companies. Based in the iconic Covent Garden theatre, it is renowned both for its outstanding performances of traditional opera and for commissioning new works by today's leading opera composers, such as Harrison Birtwistle, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Thomas Adès.

Some of the world's most famous singers have performed with the Company, including Joyce DiDonato, Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Juan Diego Flórez, Angela Gheorghiu, Jonas Kaufmann, Anna Netrebko and Bryn Terfel, as well as the late Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland.