Our team

Garry Lace

CEO

After thirty-five years of living a life full of opera and opera houses for pleasure, it’s a dream come true to now be leading such a wonderful group of people and performers, as we embark on a journey of building an arts organisation for all.

Aged twenty-three, the 1990 World Cup changed my world forever. Not because of that missed penalty, but because of ‘Nessun Dorma’ and that man Pavarotti. What has followed has been more opera evenings than I care to count and more joy than I could ever have imagined. I hope we can bring that same joy to everyone who comes along this year and in the future.

John Lofthouse

Artistic Director

I grew up in Levens in the Lake District, where my father was the Vicar. After an early taste of performing at primary school, I knew it was what I wanted to do. At sixteen, I began singing lessons at Rossall School, where I discovered classical music, choral singing and Gilbert & Sullivan. This was the introduction that led me to opera.

After studying Theology at Durham and teaching Religious Studies in London, I trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the National Opera Studio. Over the past twenty years, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with companies including Opera della Luna, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera and Opera Holland Park, in roles ranging from Sacristan in Tosca to the White Knight in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Concert highlights include Mozart’s Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall, the Romanian premiere of The Dream of Gerontius and appearances at Wigmore Hall.

I’m delighted to be part of New Arts and to help bring opera and live performance to venues new and old.

Robert Bottriel

Musical Director

As we launch this debut season, I find myself reflecting on the journey that brought me here: one that began with an idyllic childhood on the Isle of Wight.

 My memories are filled with long summer evenings, salty sea air, and a home alive with music. Thanks to my parents’ encouragement and wonderful teachers, I began piano and clarinet lessons early, and school productions first opened my eyes to opera: to storytelling, collaboration and the thrill of live performance.

 Those formative years were rich with opportunity: a thriving County Music Service, local ensembles, and endless chances to accompany at school, at home and anywhere there was a willing audience. I learned early on that I loved holding a room through music.

 At the Royal Academy of Music, opera captured me completely: the breath, the language, the marriage of words and sound. Determined to immerse myself fully, I shaped my own path as a Trainee Répétiteur, a journey that continued at Guildhall and with English National Opera, where I joined the music staff in 2009. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to work with the Royal Opera House, British Youth Opera and many leading conservatoires, coaching and collaborating with singers at every stage of their development.

 As Music Director of this new company, my hope is simple: to create performances that are generous, fearless and alive, carrying forward a flame first kindled by the sea.

David Rogers

Technical Director

I grew up in Scotland and moved to Sussex in 2008, but in many ways the theatre has always felt like home. I started working with Opera Brava in 2012 as an assistant stage manager, learning the craft from the inside out, and stepped into the role of technical stage manager the following year. I was part of every one of their productions, touring the country and making opera happen in all sorts of wonderful and unpredictable spaces.

What I love about technical management is that mix of precision and improvisation. No two venues are the same. No two days are the same. One minute you’re building, rigging or wiring; the next you’re solving a problem five minutes before curtain-up. But beyond the cables, lighting plans and stage plots, it’s the music that keeps me here. There’s something special about being part of a live performance: that shared moment when everything comes together and the audience really feels it.

 Being part of New Arts excites me because we’re not just putting on shows, we’re opening doors. We’re bringing the arts to people in a way that feels welcoming and real. I’m proud to help make that possible.