Storytelling in Opera and Musical Theatre

Discovery Workshop

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This initiative offers free one-day workshops in Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester for singers aged 18+ to explore techniques across both genres, with a focus on diversity and accessibility.

Through guided exercises, coaching and collaboration with peers, participants will explore and discover how to communicate a compelling story on stage.

Learn how to use vocal techniques and musical elements (like phrasing, dynamics, and tone) to express character traits, emotional states, and internal conflicts. Understand how composers craft arias and songs to reveal deeper layers of a character’s journey.
Discover how to convey complex emotions and dramatic tension through music. Learn to interpret how composers use harmonic progressions, orchestration, and vocal colour to create emotional landscapes that connect with audiences on a visceral level.
Master how music and words work together to enhance storytelling. Learn to interpret the connection between lyrical content, vocal delivery, and musical accompaniment to create a cohesive, multi-layered narrative experience.
Understand how to use the voice not only as an instrument of music, but as a powerful storytelling tool. Explore how vocal dynamics, articulation, and phrasing can reveal character arcs, inner conflict, and shifts in the narrative.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped with a deeper understanding of how to craft powerful, emotionally resonant narratives through the fusion of music and drama.

This course is for singers 18+ who are studying musical theatre and/ or classical voice and are interested in broadening their storytelling toolkit by exploring techniques from both opera and musical theatre.

This course priorities applicants who may have encountered barriers in their educational and professional pursuits due to issues of diversity in all forms, financial and geographic circumstances, specific personal challenges or other factors.

Thanks to the generous funding from the Kirby Laing Foundation, the course is free to participants.

To apply, please complete the application form below. Applications close on Thursday 4 February 2026.

Details:

Venue:

Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester

Starts:

February 14, 2026

Ends:

February 14, 2026

Time:

10:00-17:30

Price:

Free

Book

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If you feel more comfortable submitting your application in another format, please contact us at shortcourses@nationaloperastudio.org.uk

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Manchester - Saturday 14th February 2026 (10:00-17:30)

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The following questions are about sex and gender. We and ACE recognise that sex and gender identity are not necessarily the same thing, and in order to fully understand our audiences and applicants we're asking both questions. There is a prefer not to say option if that feels most reflective for you.

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We ask about the sexual orientation of using recommended ACE options. We recognise that this list of options is not exhaustive but hope there are enough choices for everyone to feel represented.

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The definitions for ethnicity are based on national standards as set out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This gives us a comparable dataset that can be mapped against other sources and population data. Latin American is not currently featured in ONS population datasets. This was added to all Arts Council ethnicity data collection, by exception, following request and consultation. When completing analysis to compare against ONS datasets, we categorise any ‘Latin American’ responses in the ‘Any other ethnic group’ category