May 20, 2021
Ruth was brought up in Ireland by her dancer mother and singer and actor father, to a backdrop of golden era Hollywood musicals with some Beatles thrown in for good measure. After watching her mother teach choreography, she went on to take ballet classes herself soon after she could walk. Studying music at University College in Dublin, she soon discovered she didn’t want to perform, and focused on the academic side of her degree. She went for her first interview after graduating for the job of Assistant Chorus Manager at the Royal Opera House, thinking it would be good interview practice. She not only got the job, but stayed for many years in different capacities, before taking on the Company Management role at Scottish Opera and Opera Holland Park, and working closely with Opera Rara. As the Company Manager of the Royal Opera House, Ruth had to not only bring the artists at the house to a screeching halt in the face of the pandemic, but organise and reorganise the company in the wake of the crisis that has been devastating our industry. Ruth chats through the highs and lows of the high-pressure environments she has worked in, and what happens when you get that emergency call from prompt corner…