20 May 2016

 

At the National Opera Studio, our primary purpose is to provide an intensive and bespoke professional training to a select group of talented young musicians, who have the potential to become the leading artists of their generation. We are in the unique position of working in partnership with not one, but all six of the leading opera companies in the UK, which enables us to offer the highest quality of training and attract the very best coaches working in the industry. We feel it is our responsibility not only to ensure that our Young Artists leave us having developed artistically, but to guarantee they are prepared for everything a working career in opera will challenge them with.

Our new initiative, “Opera Roots”, was designed with this in mind. In this series, our Young Artists create a recital, working alongside our team at every step of the process, from securing a venue, to marketing the event and curating a programme with our music staff. These recitals will see them returning to their “roots” and performing to the communities in their home town or places of cultural significance to them. In this way, they have the opportunity to gain a valuable insight into the programming process and develop some essential business skills whilst giving something back to the places that nurtured them.

The recital at the China Exchange launched the initiative, and we were delighted to hold this in partnership with China Exchange. Sir David Tang’s vision for a dynamic centre promoting excellence in Chinatown sits well with our own reputation for excellence in the opera world, and it seems fitting that He Wu, our Chinese soprano, should share her operatic repertoire with a Chinese audience in London at this venue. He has worked with her fellow Young Artists to develop an interesting programme, presenting not only Chinese folk and art songs, but indigenous songs from the countries of birth of our other Young Artists, including Wales, Lithuania and New Zealand.