Second Round Auditions

Second Round Audition

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to audition live at the Studio in front of a panel made up of the NOS Artistic Team and representatives from each of our six partner opera companies: English National Opera, Glyndebourne, Opera North, the Royal Opera House, Scottish Opera and Welsh National Opera. The panel will consist of a minimum of nine people. 

Should you be invited for the Second Round audition period, there will be a further fee of £40, which will cover all aspects of the Second Round audition process. This fee will need to be paid in full in order to confirm your audition place. 

The following will be required: 

• Four audition pieces, all of which should be opera (not songs or oratorio). At least two languages should be represented, with at least one in English. Additionally, at least one selection should be from a contemporary opera (post-1980).

• You may, if you wish, bring the same arias that you submitted for your First Round audition. Most of the Second Round audition panel will not have viewed your First Round audition.

• A short interview following the audition.

NOS will provide a highly qualified and experienced accompanist for the Second Round live audition process. You will not be able to bring your own pianist for your live audition or for any warm-up or practice time. This is for the sake of consistency and to serve all applicants to the best of our ability, equally and without prejudice. Music will be sent to accompanists in advance so you don't need to bring any additional music with you.

Watch the short video below about what to expect at the live audition. 

Throughout our audition process, we aim to provide every applicant with the opportunity to present their best performance to the audition panel. Over the past few years, we have offered the option for applicants to audition over Zoom. However, we have encountered technical issues and sound quality problems that have prevented applicants from accurately showcasing their voices to the panel. With this in mind, we will not be offering Zoom auditions for our 2024/25 auditions. We understand that travelling to London for a live audition may not always be feasible for some applicants. If you are unable to attend the live auditions, please email [email protected], and we will be happy to discuss alternative audition options with you. It's important to note that even if you cannot come to London for the main auditions, you may still receive an invitation for a working session if the panel deems it beneficial. Invitations to working sessions are always considered on a case-by-case basis and arranged in discussion with the applicant. We would like to encourage all applicants to attend an in-person audition wherever possible.