The intensive one-year course, running from September to June, provides individual tuition at an international level and is designed to add language, dramatic and interpretative skills to refine the students’ existing talents.

The Studio works closely with the six main British opera companies, who help select the 12 singers whom they believe have real prospects of becoming principal artists.

Success
The names of NOS trained singers can be found heading opera house cast lists throughout the world, including Berlin, Milan, New York, Paris, Salzburg, Sydney, Vienna and many other venues.

Distinguished NOS alumni include:
Kim Begley, Matthew Best, Jeffrey Black, Ivor Bolton, Susan Bullock, Elizabeth Byrne, Bruno Caproni, Alice Coote, Robert Dean, Imelda Drumm, Richard Farnes, Gerald Finley, Lesley Garrett, Lisa Gasteen, Julian Gavin, Susan Gritton, Alison Hagley, Robert Hayward, Gwyn Hughes-Jones, Philip Joll, Katarina Karnéus, Marie McLaughlin, Alastair Miles, Gerald Morre, Steven Naylor, Steven Page, Jean Rigby, Joan Rodgers, Peter Rose, Claire Rutter, William Shimell.

Our premises
The National Opera Studio has been based at its home in Wandsworth, South West London since June 2003. In 2002 the NOS bought the Memorial Hall, Chapel Yard (just off Wandsworth High Street), which is a handsome late Victorian building and formerly a non-conformist chapel. The building has five coaching rooms including an ensemble studio, offices, library and a common room. In addition, it has a large rehearsal hall, measuring 33ft x 42ft, with a ceiling height of 21ft, equipped with a simple theatre lighting rig.

The site is conveniently situated across the road from the shopping centre and not far from local amenities like King George’s Park, and the local brewery is just across the road!

The staff and tutors
Tuition at the Studio is provided by a wide range of visiting tutors, mainly performing artists and music staff from major opera houses. While ensuring that the teaching is of the highest quality and in tune with the opera houses’ requirements, the use of visiting staff keeps the Studio in touch with current trends and standards in the professional environment. Recent distinguished guests who have worked at the NOS include Tim Albery, Dame Josephine Barstow, Ivor Bolton, John Copley, Martin Isepp, Anthony Legge and Steven Pimlott.

THE COURSE

The individual approach
Throughout the course there is a strong emphasis on one to one coaching.

SINGERS

The aim of the course is to accelerate the development of the young singers’ performing skills and to increase their repertoire. To do this, the course focuses on:

• Developing vocal ability to explore demanding repertoires
• The physical ability to project dramatically
• Stamina
• Style in varied types and periods of music
• The comprehension and projection of the text
• Development of movement vocabulary and body language
• Posture classes to improve stage presence
• Learning how to learn
• Working as part of an ensemble

During the course students will develop vocal and physical stamina since they will be required to sing more hours each day than, in many cases, they have been required to sing in a week in their previous training.

The acting and movement classes develop the knowledge of movement and body language, increase physical fitness and improve posture and stage presence. It has sometimes been found that remedial work is necessary to correct problems brought about by previous injuries which have been neglected.

The regular tutors are all professionals drawn almost exclusively from the opera houses; the programme aims to produce skilled all round performers of immediate use to the companies.

Close links are maintained with the six main UK opera companies and special auditions are arranged with them for NOS students.

CORE SYLLABUS

Repertoire
Singers learn three or four complete roles during the course as well as supporting roles. The course is structured around the detailed learning of selected scenes from the singers’ main roles.

Individual music coaching sessions
Students work on their own with a number of members of the music staff, so that they can absorb a wide variety of ideas and suggestions for incorporation into their own performances.

Ensemble calls and workshop productions
Following on from the individual calls, scenes from particular operas are put together. Ensemble calls develop an understanding of the need to work with colleagues in a performing situation. The scenes will then go into production in a workshop situation using simple costumes and props. Eminent directors are engaged to rehearse these scenes.

Coaching in Italian, French and German
Each singer receives individual coaching in each language.

Individual and group acting sessions
Classes are given in acting and stagecraft. During each course the singers spend a week at the Royal National Theatre Studio working on improvisation and theatrical texts.

Individual and group movement sessions
These classes are designed to complement the acting sessions and offer an integrated programme to develop body language, spatial relationships and stage presence.

Lieder classes
These classes, which are held regularly throughout the course, give singers and repetiteurs the opportunity to work on a variety of composers and interpretations on a more intimate scale.

Contemporary Opera
The study of contemporary opera is included within the course; in some cases this might include the study of a piece with the composer

Complementary skills
Classes and advice are given on operetta, baroque opera, educational work, audition techniques, vocal health, stage fighting, use of costume and make up, radio and television techniques, agents and business affairs.

PERFORMANCES

Throughout the NOS course, the students give weekly Lunchtime Recitals and there are opportunities for showings of “work in progress” in the main hall of the Studio’s new building.

During the second term of the course, students have the opportunity for music coaching and production workshops with the staff of one of the opera companies. In the past few years, residencies have been held with Scottish Opera, Opera North and Welsh National Opera. The residencies give the students the chance to be part of an opera company for a week to observe the progress of the students. At the end of the residency, there will be an opportunity to give a concert performance of operatic scenes with the opera company’s orchestra.

At the end of each course, there will be a public performance, with orchestra, which will be designed to highlight the students’ progress during the year and to showcase the students to the opera companies, agents, press and the general public. For more information please go to the Diary.

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REPETITEURS

Learning to coach singers
Initially, trainee repetiteurs are coached by experienced members of the music staff during music calls with singers; ultimately they have their own sessions working with singers on the preparation of music. Repetiteurs also receive language caching and singing tuition.

Training in conducting
Sessions are arranged with visiting conductors on conducting technique. There is also the opportunity to conduct in production classes.

Learning new scores
It is the aim of the course to give the repetiteurs the opportunity to increase their knowledge of the operatic repertoire.

Playing with an orchestra
There are opportunities throughout the year for the repetiteurs to play keyboard parts with a professional orchestra.

One week residency with an opera company
The residency, which takes place during the second term of the course, provides the repetiteurs with the chance to work with the music staff and music director of one of the opera companies and to attend rehearsals. The repetiteurs also prepare the singers for the public concert to be given at the end of the residency. Repetiteurs may also play keyboard parts with the orchestra in the concert if required.

Observer with an opera company
There is the possibility during each course to attend performances and rehearsals at an opera company and to observe opera company music staff at close quarters either playing continuo or conducting off-stage.

Special auditions with opera companies
These are arranged during the course with the Heads of Music and music staffs of the main opera companies.

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