Netia Jones Appointed as Associate Director of The Royal Opera

The Royal Ballet and Opera has announced that visionary opera and theatre director Netia Jones will take up the newly-created position of Associate Director of The Royal Opera, leading on opera programming in the Linbury Theatre. 

Jones will take up the position from Tuesday 3 December 2024, and will be responsible for commissioning and creating bold, adventurous projects in the Linbury Theatre. Working alongside Oliver Mears (Director of Opera), she will play a key role in driving the wider artistic output of The Royal Opera – especially its developments in innovation and the commissioning of new work. Jones will also be at the forefront of advocating for the UK opera sector by continuing to position The Royal Opera as a creative force for new work, and the Linbury Theatre as a leading hub in the opera ecosystem for research and development. 

Speaking of the appointment Netia Jones said, "I am delighted to join Oliver Mears and the Company. The Linbury Theatre is the perfect space to explore new technologies, to forge global connections and to reflect the artistic ambition of this exceptional Company. I look forward to working with the team on developing a programme of work that expands the boundaries of what this unlimited and unstoppable art form can be." 

Oliver Mears, Director of The Royal Opera, said, "We can’t wait to welcome Netia to the Company. Internationally renowned for her pioneering and innovative approach to making opera, Netia has a unique gift for fusing technology, music and drama, which will drive the future of opera in the Linbury Theatre. She joins The Royal Opera at a crucial time, and we know that her vision and belief in the unlimited possibilities of our art form will build on the extraordinary success of the Linbury Theatre since it reopened in 2018."  

Working internationally as an acclaimed director, designer and video artist, Jones has carved a career spanning opera, theatre, concerts and immersive installation projects. For The Royal Opera, Jones has previously directed Current, Rising (2021) – the world’s first opera in hyper reality – Kafka Fragments (2013), Atthis (2015) and most recently she co-created and directed the Oliver Award-nominated Least Like the Other, Searching for Rosemary Kennedy (2023, co-produced with Irish National Opera), to great critical acclaim. 

In high demand as a freelance director, designer and video artist, Jones has created works internationally for Lincoln Center New York, the Opéra National de Paris, LA Philharmonic, Santa Fe Opera, San Francisco Symphony, New Zealand Opera, Bergen International Festival, and in the UK for English National Opera, Aldeburgh Festival and the Barbican.   

Jones joins the Company at the start of an exciting new era as they welcome Jakub Hrůša and Speranza Scappucci as Music Director and Principal Guest Conductor, respectively from September 2025.  

Photo Credit: Cordula Treml