Royal Opera House

Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9DD - Royal Opera House Theatre Tickets: 020 72401200

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Royal Opera House, London West End

The Royal Opera House is London and the United Kingdom's most famous and most wealthy opera company, which, as the Covent Garden Opera Company, began in 1946. The company is based at the Royal Opera House, an opera house in Covent Garden, in central London.

In October 1968, the Queen granted the company the right to be called "The Royal Opera" which, "was a fitting tribute to a company which, from modest beginnings in 1947, had in the course of two decades achieved international status and acclaim".

The Royal Opera House is the only British opera company which regularly features the world's most famous opera singers. It performs operas in their original language and relies on guest artists to play the principal roles in all performances, in contrast to the other permanent opera company in London, the English National Opera, which performs in English and has contracted singers.