The Royal Ballet and Opera has announced that Netia Jones will take up the newly created position of Associate Director of The Royal Opera.

Jones will take the position on Dec. 3, 2024, and will be responsible for commissioning and creating bold, adventurous projects in the Linbury Theatre. She will work alongside Oliver Mears (Director of Opera) and 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.

In a statement, 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.”

Mears added, “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.”

Jones has created works internationally for Lincoln Center New York, the Opéra National de Paris, the LA Philharmonic, the Santa Fe Opera, the San Francisco Symphony, the New Zealand Opera, the Bergen International Festival, and the English National Opera.