A number of major figures of the opera world have received major distinctions as part of the King’s Birthday Honours.

Opera North’s general director Richard Mantle will be knighted while conductor Ivor Bolton will be a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Finally, soprano Lucy Crowe and tenor Nicky Spence will be Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Mantle is set to retire on Dec. 1, 2023 after 30 years as the head of Opera North. He previously received an OBE in 2013.

Bolton is the current Music Director of the Teatro Real de Madrid and the Sinfonieorchester Basel; he will remain with both organizations through the 2024-25 season.

Crowe is a world-renowned soprano who has performed with such companies as the Scottish Opera, English National Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and  Glyndebourne, among others. She is also a Trustee of the Royal Academy of Music.

Spence is an internationally renowned tenor who has appeared with such companies as the English National Opera, Royal Philharmonia Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, New Zealand Opera, Oper Frankfurt, Seattle Opera, Teatro Real de Madrid, and Opéra de Lyon.