National Opera Studio Reveals its Young Artists for 2024/25

The UK’s foremost opera training organisation, the National Opera Studio (NOS), has announced the new cohort of singers and repetiteurs for its flagship Young Artists Programme for the 2024/25 season.

Following in the footsteps of NOS alumni including Gerald Finley OC CBE, Elizabeth Llewellyn MBE, Marie McLaughlin, Susan Bullock CBE and Nicky Spence OBE among many others, these handpicked musicians will undertake a fully funded, nine-month bespoke training programme that prepares them for the myriad challenges of a complex and demanding industry.

Eric Melear, Artistic Director of National Opera Studio, said, “We are pleased to announce our 2024/25 cohort of Young Artists. During their nine months, these talented artists will participate in fully funded, bespoke training in partnership with the six leading UK opera companies. Selected through a rigorous audition process, from over 300 applications, our Young Artists represent the very best of talent, not just from the UK, but around the world.

Under the guidance of industry-leading singers and coaches, our Young Artists will grace the stages of Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Glyndebourne and Opera North. This year will also include several performances in London at prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall. We look forward to supporting their development and showcasing their talent.”

The 16 joining the Young Artists Programme in 2024 comprise five sopranos, two mezzo-sopranos, two tenors, three baritones and four repetiteurs. Along with the UK, artists come from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Poland, Netherlands, Russia and South Africa. In addition to funding the training, the National Opera Studio provides the Young Artists with a performance stipend, a bursary and additional funding for external lessons and auditions.

A full list of the 2024/25 National Opera Studio’s Young Artists can be found here.

Having undergone an intense application process, participants on the Young Artists Programme will hone their skills and leverage NOS’s unique partnerships with the six leading UK opera companies: English National Opera, Glyndebourne, Opera North, the Royal Ballet and Opera, Scottish Opera and Welsh National Opera.

The intensity of the training reflects the environment of the professional opera world, exposing artists to the huge range of skills necessary for working in opera at the highest level. In addition to their musical tuition, the comprehensive and holistic training includes coaching, mentoring, skills development and stagecraft classes, audio-visual technical training, coaching in physical and psychological resilience, PR/marketing advice as well as performance opportunities. These are taught with unparalleled one-to-one supervision, allowing for individually tailored learning, helping the Young Artists progress by providing a springboard from which to launch international careers.

Among the many performance opportunities for the Young Artists in the 2024/25 season are:

• A workshop at Glyndebourne in December
• An opera scenes performance at the Studio, directed by Keith Warner, in December
• A Welsh National Opera residency in January / February
• A masterclass at the Royal Ballet and Opera
• A Scottish Opera residency in February
• A Wigmore Hall concert in spring
• An opera scenes performance at the Studio in spring
• An Opera North residency in May