About us Our story History Our history 1948 The National School of Opera is founded, led by Joan Cross and housed at Morley College, Westminster Bridge Road. 1963 Following an Arts Council grant the National School of Opera is replaced by the London Opera Centre. The London Opera Centre is managed out of the Royal Opera House with rehearsal spaces in the Troxy Cinema, Stepney. At the time, the training programme lasts two years and is available to singers, repetiteurs and stage managers. 1976 The Arts Council’s Willatt Report into Opera in the UK recommends that a smaller, more elite training organisation ought to be set up to meet the needs of all of the UK’s major opera companies. The Memorandum and Articles of Association, published on 7th October 1977, reads: ‘The Company is established to provide and carry on schools and training establishments for advanced education by providing instruction in the theory, practice, performance, production, presentation, direction and composition of opera and the musical art in all its forms.’ 1978 The National Opera Studio is founded. Directed by British bass Michael Langdon, with Martin Isepp as Head of Music, the organisation trains twelve singers and four repetiteurs in its first year, as it does to this day. Amongst the alumni from that first year were soprano Marie McLaughlan and repetiteur Alexander Ingram who both are actively involved in coaching at the Studio today. Other distinguished alumni from the 70s include Matthew Best, Robert Dean, Leslie Garrett CBE and Patricia Rozario OBE. 1986 British bass Richard Van Allan succeeds Michael Langdon as Director. 1980s alumni include singers Barry Banks, Kim Begley, Peter Bronder, Susan Bullock CBE, Gerald Finley CBE OC, Lisa Gasteen AO, Quentin Hayes, Linda Kitchen, Alastair Miles, Sarah Pring, Jean Rigby, Joan Rogers CBE, Peter Rose, Jonathan Veira and repetiteurs Ivor Bolton, David Gowland, Julia Jones, Gerald Martin Moore and Stephen Naylor 1995 Rupert Dussmann becomes Head of Music. Notable alumni from the 1990s include singers Peter Auty, Emma Bell, Alfie Boe, Mark le Brocq, Alice Coote OBE, Majella Cullagh, Imelda Drumm, Wynne Evans, Susan Gritton, Gwyn Hughes-Jones, Leah-Marian Jones, Katarina Karnéus, Linda Richardson, Mary Plazas, Ronald Samm, and repetiteurs Richard Farnes, Richard Hetherington and Jeremy Silver. 2001 Scottish baritone Donald Maxwell succeeds Richard Van Allan as Director. 2003 The National Opera Studio moves from Morley College, to Wandsworth in South West London. Here it buys a derelict chapel building, the Memorial Hall which began its life in 1573 when it was used for worship by pioneer nonconformists and later by Huguenot refugees. In 1808 the site became a congregational chapel and in 1882 the entire building was replaced by the Memorial Hall that stands today. The building was used as a chapel until the Second World War and after 1945 it had a number of uses including a warehouse and a temporary theatre school. Eventually the building became derelict. In 2003, the National Opera Studio gives it a new purpose by fitting it out with multiple rehearsal spaces, practice rooms, a library, an office and the large Blackburn Hall. 2009 Soprano Kathryn Harries succeeds Donald Maxwell as Director. Notable alumni from the 2000s include Lee Bisset, Anna Devin, Maire Flavin, Ben Johnson, Jennifer Johnson, Elizabeth Llewellyn MBE, Robert Murray, Madeleine Pierard, Duncan Rock, Kate Royal, David Soar, Nicky Spence, Anna Stéphany and repetiteur Andrew Griffiths 2010 Conductor Mark Shanahan becomes Head of Music. 2012 Sir Vernon Ellis becomes Chair of the Studio. 2015 Emily Gottlieb is appointed to the new position of Chief Executive. 2016 The National Opera Studio commissions Graham Devlin CBE to write the report Opera Training for Singers in the UK, which is published and followed by an industry-wide forum to discuss the findings of the report. 2017 The Studio responds to the report by developing a new vision, mission and strategy, with long-term plans to widen the training offer to singers from diverse backgrounds and those in mid-career. David Sulkin OBE joins the Studio in the new role of Director of Artist Development. Kathryn Harries steps down as Director. The ground floor spaces of the Clore Building undergo a major refurbishment. 2018 The National Opera Studio celebrates its 40th anniversary year, launched by a packed event at the House of Lords and followed by a series of 18 concerts involving 57 alumni at the Victoria and Albert Museum. 2019 The Young Artists take part in the Studio’s first concert at Cadogan Hall with the orchestra of ENO which is conducted by Charles Peebles. Nicholas Allan takes over as Chair of the Trustees from Sir Vernon Ellis. 2020 Arts Council England approves a project grant to support a new initiative by the Studio – Diverse Voices - a project aimed at developing a collaborative, enduring model to open up pathways for talented young singers from diverse backgrounds and help them into careers in opera. 2020 – 2021 Dearbhla Collins is appointed as Head of Artistic Administration and Andrew Griffiths as Head Coach and Music Consultant. Mark Shanahan leaves the Studio. The Studio responds to the Pandemic by moving training on-line and by installing state of the art recording and filming equipment enabling recitals to be live-streamed. 2022 A new Sounding Board is created comprising a group of professional (currently working) opera artists which supports the Studio’s mission to prepare highly talented young artists for a modern career in today's opera profession. The purpose is twofold- to act as a sounding board for the NOS executive and artistic team, and to offer practical input and guidance to the young artists on the training programme. The first members of the Board are alumni Susan Bullock CBE, Gerald Finley CBE OC, Marie McLaughlan, Elizabeth Llewellyn MBE and Nicky Spence plus the distinguished bass Brindley Sherratt. Nicholas Simpson becomes Executive Director working alongside Emily Gottlieb. The orchestra of ENO are conducted by Olivia Clark for the Cadogan Hall concert. In autumn 2023 the Studio holds its first Baroque specialised workshops and performances led by Christian Curnyn. 2023 David Parry conducts the ENO orchestra at Cadogan Hall. Allyson Devenish and Elizabeth Rowe are appointed as Senior Staff Coaches, Cliodhna O’Connor is appointed Elite Performance Coach to support performers to manage the demands of a high performing environment while maintaining their own general health and wellbeing. For the first time the Young Artists visit Glyndebourne for a mini residency. 2024 Emily Gottlieb resigns as Chief Executive to become Executive Director of Longborough Festival Opera and David Sulkin announces his retirement. The new management team is headed by Executive Director Nicholas Simpson and new Artistic Director Eric Melear who joins the Studio having worked extensively in the US and in Europe. Header image: La bohème from the 1983 Showcase: (Left to Right) Geoffrey Dolton, Paul Hodges, Jeremy Munro, Alice Hyde. (Unseen) Alma Sheehan, Kim Begley Manage Cookie Preferences