Advanced Professional Practice (Opera) Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama

Overview

• Your first public performance will be two showings of a full set of Opera Scenes with piano. 
• You then go straight into preparation for the WNO/RWCMD Opera Gala - performed twice in the College's stunning Dora Stoutzker Hall. This is a fantastic evening of music where Opera School singers are joined onstage by the wonderful Orchestra of Welsh National Opera.
• The spring and summer term both focus on fully-staged productions of full-length operas with orchestra. The approach is exactly as you would find in the industry with dedicated music calls preceding a month-long production period in the studio. The final weeks - Sitzprobe, Stage/Pianos & Stage/Orchestras, Dress rehearsals are also exactly as you would experience in the industry. This will give you a first-hand experience of the stamina and pacing required.
• All of our productions are directed and conducted by professionals who are experts in their sphere, so that you are constantly experiencing a sense of what it is to work at the highest level.
• Furthermore, all of our performances are attended by a wide range of industry professionals, helping you to be seen and heard by those active in the casting profession.

The 12–month intensive training programme enriches your specialist skill set whilst enhancing your employability. 

• The course encompasses a combination of teaching approaches, including one-to-one tuition, coachings, performance platforms, masterclasses and tutorials alongside focused production periods.
• Your year of intense study and performance culminates in a presentation of a core operatic role and an audition package. These are assessed by a very distinguished panel of industry professionals, which include an eminent coach from a national opera company, a head of casting at a UK opera company and an agent from one of the top classical agencies in the UK.
• You’ll learn professional operatic working practices with professional directors and repetiteurs, offering you insight into the inner workings of the industry and building familiarity with the operatic environment.
• Our impressive list of tutors includes renowned vocal soloists and distinguished coaches. They offer you not only first-rate teaching, but mentorship and networking opportunities as well.

• During the year, you'll have classes in the main operatic languages - Italian, German and French, with the option to be coached in Czech, Russian, English, Welsh and more. We also run a specialist Recitative Project.

Course overview

When joining the David Seligman Opera School, operatic performance will be the foundation of your experience. The majority of your study will centre on public performance in fully staged opera, involving periods of intense preparation and rehearsal.  

Through our strong ties with industry, you’ll be immersed in a professional operatic company environment from early on in your course. Working as part of the David Seligman Opera School,  you will also have opportunities to observe and shadow selected WNO activities.  

Through a range of teaching approaches in an inspiring conservatoire setting, you’ll develop a mastery of the essential skills necessary to succeed in today’s opera industry.