Opera

Introduction

The department is a relatively small one, with 20-25 students over the two-year course, so all students receive a great deal of individual attention.

The RCS vocal staff is made up of experienced and distinguished teachers and practitioners, and a wide range of visiting coaches, directors and guest artists provide a constant source of external stimulus.

Twice-weekly singing lessons and regular coachings are the foundation of the programme, with a wide range of performance opportunities, scenes and full scale productions, mostly in house, but some with Scottish Opera and other partners, providing the learning experience vital to students with ambitions to embark on a career in opera.

Programme structure

In addition to singing lessons, coaching and performance opportunities, a range of core skills in acting, movement, languages, French, German and Italian repertoire, audition technique are taught. These are assessed on an ongoing basis as part of ‘Supporting Studies’, while the principal assessments are, of course, focussed on the performances themselves.

Opera scenes allow students to experience different repertoire and style, and to discover their own strengths and weaknesses. The annual Opera Project explores chamber opera repertoire while the annual full-scale in house production (in the Conservatoire’s own Athenaeum Theatre). There have been also been recent collaborations with Scottish Opera in a variety of outfits. Professional agents and opera companies are frequent visitors. Students can also exit with PGDip awards.