WELSH National Opera (WNO) have announced their new general director.

Aidan Lang, who is currently general director of Seattle Opera, will take up the new position in July 2019.

Mr Lang said “It will be a wrench to leave Seattle Opera, as the company is known for its enthusiastic and generous opera community, and the warm and welcoming atmosphere it creates for its artists.

“But Welsh National Opera is where my career in opera really began, and I have always considered it to be my artistic home.

“It was during my time there in the 1980s that I came to understand the potential for opera to change the way that people view the society they live in, and that insight has been at the core of all my work ever since.

“It is an incredible honour to be appointed as WNO’s next General Director, and I am hugely looking forward to working with the people who make up this extraordinary company.”

Mr Lang will relocate to Wales with his wife, the singer and director Linda Kitchen, and their daughter, Eleanor, to take up the role.

Chair of WNO’s board, Mark Molyneux, said “The Board of WNO are delighted with the appointment of Aidan Lang as our General Director.

“We conducted an extensive, global search and were exceptionally pleased with the calibre of candidates, which reflects well on the leading reputation of the Company.

“Aidan stood out, with both his deep artistic credentials as well as proven leadership skills, and we look forward enormously to working with him.”

Find out more about the WNO at wno.org.uk.