Scottish Opera's new production of Smetana's opera, "The Two Widows" is a beneficiary of the new expo fund, through which Edinburgh International Festival bid for moneys and received £277,000 to enable it to fund the performance.Scottish Opera operates on a scale that is very different from the scale on which Opera North operates and in a very different context, so it is not appropriate to compare directly the funding that the two companies receive.I am delighted and impressed by the range and quality of the work that Scottish Opera delivers to audiences throughout Scotland and I look forward, as I know John Wilson does, to the company's continued success with its strong artistic programme, which I understand includes an exciting co-production with Opera North.