English National Opera choir reaches deal, calls off strike

LONDON – The English National Opera will not fall silent, after choristers agreed to a new pay deal and called off a planned strike.

The choir had planned to stop singing during Friday’s performance of Philip Glass’s “Akhnaten” to protest job losses and pay cuts.

The cash-strapped opera wants choristers’ contracts to cover only nine months of the year, with a summer break when there are no performances of new work.

Performers’ union Equity said choristers had “reluctantly” agreed to the deal, which means a cut in their guaranteed pay and a reduction from 44 choir members to 40.

Opera chief executive Cressida Pollock said she was “delighted that we have been able to reach a deal with Equity.”

The opera has seen its government funding sharply cut in recent years.