Overview

SUPPORTING WOMEN... The under-representation of women in senior leadership roles - both creatively and administratively - is significant. Our purpose is to explore the reasons for this imbalance and to find ways to champion and generate more opportunities for women in these roles. ...AND PARENTS AND CARERS... We aim to dismantle outdated attitudes towards the compatibility of parenthood and a career by: - Celebrating the great many role model opera parents managing to do both - Working with opera companies to find ways of updating their working practices to make a career in opera more accessible for people with families and dependants (men and women) Our Mission SWAP’ra is a group of artists who have come together to build a supportive community and to effect positive change for women and parents in opera. We aim to be a voice for women and parents (men and women) in opera by - celebrating professional achievements in an industry where women are underrepresented in so many areas, as illustrated by the graphics to the left* - collating data from existing artists in the industry and offering effective and workable solutions for companies - establishing a friendly, supportive and non-judgemental community - providing a platform for performance and publicity - challenging preconceptions to improve attitudes towards women and parents in the arts The ultimate aim is to foster an environment in which a female CEO, Music Director, Artistic Director, Conductor, Composer or Librettist is no longer noteworthy