The winner of SME News - Midlands Enterprise Awards: Best Arts & Cultural Inclusion Charity 2026 - West Midlands and a finalist for the Making Music Awards 2025 - The Best Project
for the Flying Dutchman.
Persona Arts stages high quality opera, classical and choral music workshops, performances and productions for the benefit of communities in the West Midlands.
We aim to inspire new and diverse audiences throughout the West Midlands.
We are also committed to providing opportunities for singers, musicians and creative artists to perform and develop their craft in a supportive and educational environment.
Over the coming years we will produce a rich programme of performances and activities.
Our long term goals:
- To contribute to the evolving narrative of change in the UK's opera and classical music sectors, driven by ethnically diverse leaderships.
- To create formidable work in mainstream repertoire and cutting edge commissions showcasing the talent of under-represented artists in contemporary England.
- To inspire and educate the diverse communities of the West Midlands and beyond.
- To develop, educate and train artists and creatives in a breadth of repertoire towards a sustainable career, especially those from under-represented communities.
2014 - BJME recital
"Many congratulations on your hugely successful concert; It was even better than I had expected! Two superbly mature voices and supremely competent singers, coupled with an accompanist of great calibre, made for a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable cultural evening. Thank you so much"
2024 - Der fliegende Holländer/The Flying Dutchman Production
"As a professional conductor I am very impressed with the standard and achievement."
"Absolutely electrifying performance and wonderfully diverse. Deserves 5 stars."
"The Central England Camerata, ably conducted by Jack Ridley, gives all the singers superb support, and at times sounds more like an orchestra of seventy players rather than the actual 41.”
"Persona Arts have reinforced the enduring strength of Wagner’s seafaring adventure, and reminded us that Wagner, and opera, can indeed be for everyone."
"Persona Arts are to be applauded for its goals and inclusive approach, and for bringing such an ambitious project to the stage so convincingly."