OPERA 2020-21 ROYAL ACADEMY OPERA

Royal Academy Opera is an intensive company. Operas are chosen to project. Described in The Times as advanced postgraduate programme for offer as wide a range of performing ‘not unlike Glyndebourne inside and students with the ambition, talent and opportunities as possible. blessed with excellent acoustics’, the drive necessary for a career in opera. 309-seat theatre, along with the new And you will hone your craft in one rooftop Angela Burgess Recital Hall, You will work closely with our of the very best performance spaces has won numerous awards, including distinguished professors, coaches of any conservatoire – the world-class three RIBA awards and a World and visiting artists, and develop your Susie Sainsbury Theatre, which opened Architecture Award. skills in an environment that closely in the spring of 2018 as part of a hugely replicates a professional opera ambitious building and renovation

Director of Opera

IMAGE CREDITS Gareth Hancock MARCO BORGGREVE page 7 SARAH HICKSON pages 2, 3 ROBERT WORKMAN cover, pages 4-6 © 2019 Every effort has been made to ensure that the information included in this publication is correct at the time of going to print. Company Manager Any queries regarding its content should be addressed to [email protected] Michael Wardell

Tel: +44 (0)20 7873 7383 Email: [email protected] Semele rehearsal (2018) Web: ram.ac.uk/opera 3 STUDENT SUCCESSES

2018 and 2019 Royal Academy Opera graduates who accepted places on young artist programmes include:

NATIONAL OPERA STUDIO ROYAL OPERA HOUSE JETTE PARKER BAYERISCHE STAATSOPER Sung Kyu Choi YOUNG ARTISTS PROGRAMME OPERA STUDIO Nicholas Mogg Michael Mofidian Freddie De Tommaso Marvic Monreal Patrick Terry Shengzhi Ren STAATSOPER HANNOVER STAATSOPER HAMBURG Darwin Leonard Prakash OPERNHAUS ZÜRICH INTERNATIONAL OPERA STUDIO INTERNATIONAL OPERA STUDIO Hiroshi Amako L’enfant et les sortilèges (2019) Lina Dambrauskaitė Nicholas Mogg Richard Walshe

‘The small but brilliant student show at the Royal Academy of Music came like a beacon on a dark night … the voices, orchestra, design and total package were a joy’ Flight (2018) (2019) Classical Music magazine Semele (2018) 4 5 DARWIN LEONARD PRAKASH LUCY CROWE

‘The teaching I received was second to none, and my ‘Many graduates head straight into prestigious young artist peers were so supportive and encouraging’ programmes, which is testament to the brilliant teaching’

My Academy story began with a chance I had so much catching up to do – I I graduated from the Academy in straight into prestigious young artist meeting. In June 2014, while studying had to learn, among other things, basic 2004, and have always been grateful programmes, which is testament to for a Bachelor’s degree in Geology at piano-playing skills, music theory and for how well Royal Academy Opera the brilliant teaching and professional Delhi University, I dropped a friend off aural perception in order to make my prepared me for the big wide operatic development guidance they receive at the Neemrana Music Foundation time at the Academy less bumpy, and world. Fifteen years on, my recent at the Academy. for a masterclass with a visiting vocal frankly it’s an ongoing process! But and upcoming jobs include The professor from the UK. I had not had any the teaching I received was second to Cunning Little Vixen with the Berliner Current (and future) students are so formal musical training but sang in my none, and my peers were so supportive Philharmoniker and London Symphony lucky to have the new Susie Sainsbury church choir and was a member of an and encouraging. All the hard work Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle, Theatre – an intimate yet grand space, a cappella group at university, so on a has undoubtedly paid off – I spent this leading roles with the Metropolitan and a wonder of acoustics – in which to whim I decided to attend the class. summer in the chorus at Glyndebourne Opera, and Poppea in at the hone the subtleties of their art. Dynamic and have accepted a place with House, Covent Garden – scope, from the quietest whisper to a Afterwards, the professor heard me Staatsoper Hannover for 2019-21. my eighth role there. dramatic mezza voce to a thrilling forte, singing with friends outside, and before can now be worked on in the most I knew it he had taken me under his I graduated from the Academy with From movement, dance and acting beautiful of spaces. wing. After finishing my degree I moved the skills, artistry and, most importantly, to language coaching and technique, to Manchester, where I had six months the courage and confidence to take everything was taken into account to It gives me great pleasure to remain of intensive training before being offered on the challenges of a career in opera, get us ready to fly the nest that is the connected to the Academy in my role a postgraduate place at the Academy and I couldn’t be more thankful. nurturing, supportive Royal Academy as a governor on the board, and by with a full scholarship. of Music. The department is run as giving masterclasses to the talented a small opera company, which is a students who get the opportunity to great way to get valuable insight into tread the boards here. the professional world. And it obviously works – many graduates head

6 7 Patron HM The Queen

President HRH The Duchess of Gloucester GCVO

Principal Professor Jonathan Freeman-Attwood CBE PROSPECTUS royalacademyofmusic RoyalAcadMusic royalacademyofmusic

Marylebone Road London NW1 5HT ram.ac.uk Download our prospectus at T: +44 (0)20 7873 7373 ram.ac.uk

Sign up to receive monthly events highlights at ram.ac.uk/sign-up Registered Charity No 310007