ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the success of Northern Ireland Opera (NIO) as being grounded in a process of strategic planning but ultimately dependent upon strategic management and the personal vision of the Artistic Director. In any discussion of the formation of a new national opera company, two perspectives are paramount: the specific socio-geographic context of the company, and the place of the opera art form within the culture of that location. An Opera Strategy for Northern Ireland provides a significant degree of background information and historical context on opera provision in the region. In order to articulate the role of a national opera company, An Opera Strategy for Northern Ireland therefore sought to, "define opera in Northern Ireland in detail and place it within a wider regional, national and international context".
