# Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera

The Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor and director Laurence Olivier.
This award was first presented in 1977, and covers the breadth of a commingled group of specialties, including individual or combinations of: opera companies, orchestras, conductors, composers, singers, stage directors, theatre directors and libretto translators. It served as the only Olivier Award focused solely on opera until the 1993 introduction of the award for Best New Opera Production.

## Winners and nominees
### 1970s

| Year | Recipient | Production |
| 1977 |
| 1977 | Glyndebourne Festival Opera | Don Giovanni |
| 1977 | English National Opera | Toussaint |
| 1977 | The Royal Opera | The Ice Break |
| 1977 | English National Opera | Werther |
| 1978 |
| 1978 | English National Opera | Enterprising Repertoire |
| 1978 | Colin Davis | The Conduction of The Royal Opera |
| 1979 |
| 1979 | The Royal Opera | The Rake's Progress |
| 1979 | The Royal Opera | Die Zauberflote |
| 1979 | English National Opera | Manon |
| 1979 | English National Opera | The Adventures of Mr Brouček |

### 1980s

| Year | Recipient | Production |
| 1980 |
| 1980 | English National Opera | Così fan tutte |
| 1980 | English National Opera | Julius Caesar |
| 1980 | English National Opera | The Turn of the Screw |
| 1980 | Kent Opera | The Turn of the Screw |
| 1981 |
| 1981 | The Royal Opera | Les contes d’Hoffmann |
| 1981 | Welsh National Opera | Die Frau ohne Schatten |
| 1981 | The Royal Opera | Lulu |
| 1981 | The Royal Opera | Samson et Delilah |
| 1982 |
| 1982 | English National Opera | Rigoletto |
| 1982 | Kent Opera | Agrippina |
| 1982 | The Royal Opera | Falstaff |
| 1982 | Welsh National Opera | I puritani |
| 1986 |
| 1986 | English National Opera | Doktor Faust |
| 1986 | Harrison Birtwistle | The Mask of Orpheus |
| 1986 | Anne Evans | The Ring Cycle |
| 1986 | Kathryn Harries | The Ring Cycle |
| 1986 | Stephanos Lazaridis | Doktor Faust and The Mikado |
| 1987 |
| 1987 | English National Opera | Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District |
| 1987 | Della Jones | The Barber of Seville |
| The Kirov Opera Orchestra ||
| 1987 | Carlos Kleiber | Otello |
| 1987 | Marie McLaughlin | Le Nozze di Figaro |
| 1987 | Eva Randová | Jenůfa |
| 1988 |
| 1988 | Leontina Vaduva | Manon |
| 1988 | English National Opera | The Magic Flute |
| 1988 | English National Opera | Billy Budd |
| 1988 | English National Opera | Hansel and Gretel |
| 1988 | The Royal Opera | Madama Butterfly |
| 1988 | Welsh National Opera | Falstaff |
| 1989/90 |
| 1989/90 | Komische Oper Berlin | Orpheus and Eurydice |
| 1989/90 | The Royal Opera | Un re in ascolto |
| 1989/90 | English National Opera | Lear |
| 1989/90 | The Garden Venture | Survival Song |
| 1989/90 | English National Opera | The Love for Three Oranges |

### 1990s

| Year | Recipient | Production |
| 1991 |
| 1991 | Mark Elder | Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Macbeth, Pelléas et Méllisande and Wozzeck |
| 1991 | English National Opera | Greek |
| 1991 | Tim Albery | Les Troyens |
| 1991 | English National Opera | Duke Bluebeard's Castle |
| 1991 | The Royal Opera | The Cunning Little Vixen |
| 1991 | Éva Marton | Elektra |
| 1992 |
| 1992 | The Royal Opera | Mitridate, re di Ponto |
| 1992 | Harrison Birtwistle | Gawain |
| Simon Boccanegra ||
| 1992 | English National Opera | Figaro's Wedding |
| 1992 | English National Opera | Peter Grimes |
| 1992 | The Garden Venture | Out of Season and The Dancer Hotoke |
| 1993 |
| 1993 | Edward Downes | The Fiery Angel and Stiffelio |
| 1993 | Bernard Haitink | Die Frau ohne Schatten |
| 1993 | Philip Langridge | Death in Venice |
| 1993 | Júlia Várady | Der Fliegende Hollander |
| 1994 |
| 1994 | English National Opera Orchestra | Lohengrin and Inquest of Love |
| 1994 | Paul Daniel and Opera North | Gloriana |
| 1994 | Charles Mackerras | Tristan und Isolde |
| 1994 | Ann Murray | Ariodante |
| 1995 |
| 1995 | Roberto Alagna | Roméo et Juliette |
| 1995 | Tom Cairns | King Priam |
| 1995 | Music Theatre London | La Traviata |
| 1995 | John Tomlinson | Das Rheingold and Die Walküre |
| 1996 |
| 1996 | Bernard Haitink | Siegfried and Götterdämmerung |
| 1996 | Jonathan Miller | Carmen |
| 1996 | Bryn Terfel | Salome |
| 1996 | John Tomlinson | Billy Budd and Siegfried |
| 1997 |
| 1997 | Elgar Howarth | Die Soldaten and The Prince of Homburg |
| 1997 | Wolfgang Göbbel | The Midsummer Marriage and Tristan und Isolde |
| 1997 | Karita Mattila | Don Carlos |
| 1998 |
| 1998 | Paul Daniel | From the House of the Dead |
| 1998 | Alan Opie | Falstaff |
| 1998 | Nikolaus Leloff, Tobias Moheisel, Bettina J Walker and Mark Henderson | Palestrina |
| 1998 | Francesca Zambello | Paul Bunyan |
| 1999 |
| 1999 | Royal Opera House Orchestra | Le Nozze Di Figaro, The Bartered Bride and The Golden Cockerel |
| 1999 | Sandra Ford | The Tales of Hoffmann and Mary Stuart |
| 1999 | René Jacobs | L'Orfeo |
| 1999 | Andrew Shore | Gianni Schicchi and The Elixir of Love |

### 2000s

| Year | Recipient | Production |
| 2000 |
| 2000 | English National Opera | High Standard of Work |
| 2000 | Kim Begley | Parsifal |
| 2000 | Rosemary Joshua | Semele |
| 2000 | Bryn Terfel | Falstaff |
| 2001 |
| 2001 | Mark-Anthony Turnage and Amanda Holden | The Silver Tassie (London Coliseum) |
| 2001 | Gerald Finley | The Silver Tassie |
| 2001 | The Kirov Opera | Season at the Royal Opera House |
| 2001 | Stefanos Lazaridis | The Greek Passion and English National Opera's Italian Season |
| 2002 |
| 2002 | Bernard Haitink | Jenůfa and The Queen of Spades (and "musical directorship of a season of great distinction by the Royal Opera") |
| 2002 | English National Opera | From Morning to Midnight, The Rake's Progress, The Rape of Lucretia and War and Peace |
| 2002 | Karita Mattila | Jenůfa and The Queen of Spades |
| 2002 | David Sawer | From Morning to Midnight |
| 2003 |
| 2003 | Antonio Pappano | Ariadne auf Naxos and Wozzeck (Royal Opera) |
| 2003 | Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu | La Rondine |
| 2003 | Lisa Saffer | Lulu |
| 2004 |
| 2004 | Cristina Gallardo-Domas | Madama Butterfly (title role, Royal Opera) |
| 2004 | Simon Keenlyside | Hamlet and Die Zauberflote |
| 2004 | Bejun Mehta | Orlando |
| 2004 | Felicity Palmer | Elektra and Sweeney Todd |
| 2005 |
| 2005 | Thomas Adès and the Royal Opera House | The Tempest |
| 2005 | Ben Heppner | Peter Grimes |
| 2005 | John MacFarlane | Peter Grimes and Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District |
| 2005 | Royal Opera House Orchestra | Season in London |
| 2006 |
| 2006 | Simon Keenlyside | 1984 and Billy Budd (at Royal Opera & English National Opera) |
| 2006 | Sarah Connolly | La clemenza di Tito |
| 2006 | David McVicar | La clemenza di Tito |
| 2006 | Anthony Minghella and Carolyn Choa | Madama Butterfly |
| 2007 |
| 2007 | Amanda Roocroft | Jenůfa (title role, London Coliseum) |
| 2007 | John Mark Ainsley | Orfeo |
| 2007 | Joyce DiDonato | Hercules |
| 2007 | John Tomlinson | Götterdämmerung |
| 2008 |
| 2008 | Natalie Dessay | La Fille Du Regiment (Marie, Royal Opera) |
| 2008 | Gerald Finley | Pelléas et Mélisande |
| 2008 | Angelika Kirchschlager | Pelléas et Mélisande |
| 2008 | David McVicar | The Turn of the Screw and Agrippina |
| 2009 |
| 2009 | Edward Gardner | Boris Godunov, Cavalliera Rusticana, Der Rosenkavalier, I pagliacci, Riders to the Sea and Punch and Judy (conductor, English National Opera) |
| 2009 | Patricia Bardon | The Rake's Progress, Partenope and Riders to the Sea |
| 2009 | Ferruccio Furlanetto | Don Carlos |
| 2009 | Christine Rice | The Minotaur and Partenope |

### 2010s

| Year | Recipient | Production |
| 2010 |
| 2010 | Nina Stemme | Tristan und Isolde (Isolde, Royal Opera House) |
| 2010 | Anja Kampe | Der Fliegende Holländer |
| 2010 | Stuart Skelton | Peter Grimes |
| 2010 | Michael Volle | Lulu and Tristan und Isolde |
| 2011 |
| 2011 | Christian Gerhaher | Tannhäuser (Wolfram, Royal Opera House) |
| 2011 | Andrew Shore | The Elixir of Love |
| 2011 | Jonas Kaufmann | Adriana Lecouvreur |
| 2012 |
| 2012 | English National Opera | Season in London |
| 2012 | Amanda Holden | Castor et Pollux |
| 2012 | Mark-Anthony Turnage | Anna Nicole and Twice Through the Heart |
| 2012 | Richard Jones | Anna Nicole, Il trittico and The Tales of Hoffmann |
| 2013 |
| 2013 | Bryan Hymel | Les Troyens, Robert le diable and Rusalka (performances at the Royal Opera House) |
| 2013 | Edward Gardner | The Flying Dutchman and Billy Budd |
| 2013 | Music Theatre Wales and Scottish Opera | In the Locked Room and Ghost Patrol |
| English National Opera Stage Management ||
| 2014 |
| 2014 | English Touring Opera | King Priam and Paul Bunyan |
| 2014 | Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flórez | La donna del lago |
| 2014 | Plácido Domingo | Nabucco |
| 2015 |
| 2015 | Richard Jones | Rodelinda, The Girl of the Golden West and The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (at the London Coliseum) |
| 2015 | The Chorus | Moses und Aron |
| 2015 | Jonas Kaufmann | Andrea Chénier and Manon Lescaut |
| 2015 | Roundhouse and Sam Wanamaker Playhouse | L'Orfeo and L'Ormindo |
| 2016 |
| 2016 | English National Opera Chorus and Orchestra | The Force of Destiny, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and The Queen of Spades |
| 2016 | Felicity Palmer | The Queen of Spades |
| 2016 | Antonio Pappano | Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci, Guillaume Tell and Król Roger |
| 2016 | Tamara Wilson | The Force of Destiny |
| 2017 |
| 2017 | Mark Wigglesworth | Don Giovanni and Lulu (at the London Coliseum) |
| 2017 | Renée Fleming | Der Rosenkavalier |
| 2017 | Stuart Skelton | Tristan and Isolde |
| 2018 |
| 2018 | Joyce DiDonato and Daniela Barcellona | Semiramide (Royal Opera) |
| 2018 | Paul Brown | Iolanthe |
| 2018 | Roderick Williams | The Return of Ulysses |
| 2019 |
| 2019 | The Ensemble | Porgy and Bess (London Coliseum) |
| 2019 | David Butt Philip Roderick Williams | War Requiem |
| 2019 | English National Opera Chorus | Paul Bunyan |
| 2019 | Andris Nelsons | Lohengrin |

### 2020s

| Year | Nominee | Category | Production |
| 2020 |
| 2020 | The Children's Ensemble | Performers | Noye's Fludde |
| 2020 | Martyn Brabbins and James Henshaw | Conductors | The Mask of Orpheus |
| 2020 | The Jette Parker Young Artists | Performers | Berenice, Death in Venice and Phaedra |
| 2021 | Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic | Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic | Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2022 |
| 2022 | Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra | Artistic director and orchestra | Bajazet, Irish National Opera and Royal Opera |
| 2022 | Christine Rice | Performer | 4/4 |
| 2022 | takis | Set and costume designer | H.M.S. Pinafore |
| 2023 |
| 2023 | William Kentridge | Concept & Direction | Sybil |
| 2023 | Sinéad Campbell-Watson | Performer | Tosca by English National Opera |
| 2023 | Antony McDonald | Designer | Alcina by The Royal Opera |
| 2024 |
| 2024 | Antonio Pappano | Music Director | The Royal Opera |
| 2024 | Belarus Free Theatre Company | Theatre Company | King Stakh's Wild Hunt |
| 2024 | Marina Abramović | Concept & Design | 7 Deaths of Maria Callas |
* 1 2 Due to late March 2020 to late July 2021 closing of London theatre productions during the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the 2022 awards recognise productions that launched anytime from February 2020 to February 2022