Founded in 1971, and previously known as W11 Opera and W11 Children's Opera, it took its former name from its location in W11, a postal district in West London consisting largely of Notting Hill and parts of Holland Park.
[3] Almost all of the productions are new works created by composers such as George Fenton, John Gardner, Richard Harvey, Colin Towns and Timothy Kraemer.
Some of these works go on to be revived by schools and other opera companies.
Notable alumni of the company include Eve Best, Jonathan Antoine and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
W11/LYO has commissioned and produced almost 40 new operas, more than any other UK company, providing a repertoire of music theatre for its cast of 9- to 18-year-olds.