The UK's first Black and Asian led Wagner Opera production, The Flying Dutchman was presented by Persona Arts, with artistic direction from international opera singer Byron Jackson and stage direction by Iqbal Khan. Staged in July 2024 at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and endorsed by His Majesty the King.

A professional cast with heritage from across the Commonwealth was joined by a skilled community chorus, drawn from the West Midlands region, including the Birmingham Choral Union, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and St Mary’s Church, Handsworth. Music came from the Central England Camerata, under the baton of Jack Ridley.

The production was part of Byron Jackson’s mission to break down socio-economic and racial barriers that still exist within the opera and classical music sectors. The community chorus and orchestra were drawn from across Birmingham and the Black Country, and into rural areas of Shropshire and Worcestershire. It was well attended by over 700 diverse people many of which attended an opera for the first time!