about byo

British Youth Opera provides professional opportunities for singers, musicians and technical trainees. Our participants are normally in the middle of their formal musical education or have just finished and are about to begin their professional careers.

That’s what the ‘youth’ in our name refers to – not age, but the fact that our participants are all at the beginning of their lives in opera.

More than 5,000 young people have benefitted from British Youth Opera’s training. Around half of these have been singers, and the other half music, creative and production staff: conductors, repetiteurs, directors, designers, lighting designers, costume assistants, and production and stage managers.

Where it all began…

British Youth Opera was founded by Denis Coe MP in 1987 to give high-standard performance opportunities to singers straight out of music college. Denis was a member of the board of the National Youth Theatre and had seen that the practical experience participants were receiving was greatly enhancing their opportunity for entering the profession.

In the past 30 years, we have gone from strength to strength. Our annual summer season is an staple in the opera calendar. Our workshops have given thousands of young singers an important career boost at just the right moment. And alongside all that, one-off events with stars such as Sir Thomas Allen, José Cura, Sir Mark Elder, Edward Gardner, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Sir John Tomlinson have educated and entertained in equal measure. You’ll now find BYO alumni on stages and behind them all across the globe.

what we do

Workshops

We normally run workshops during the Easter and Summer holidays. They’re intensive, five day sessions that put small groups of singers together with a stage and music director.

We’ve found that these small groups build trust and intimacy. And having a whole week together gives singers the rare gift of time – they’re able to take a deep, concentrated look at very specific parts of their performances, picking them apart and working in them in close detail.

Summer season

This is the jewel in our crown – it’s a huge project that makes career-defining differences to loads of young professionals. Participants in more or less every department (including stage management, costume, design, directing, hair and make-up, conducting) work with established professional ‘department heads’ to put on two full-scale, professional operas.

The combination of professional-level hands-on experience and mentoring from some of the best in the business make this unlike any other training on offer anywhere. For most participants it’s their first experience of a real-world opera production, and lots of them make contacts that land them agents, contracts or freelance gigs.

The Serena Fenwick Programme

The Serena Fenwick Programme is our newest training strand (we launched it in 2020). Only singers who took part in BYO in the past year are eligible to apply, and they must not be enrolled in a full-time music or singing course. The final group of 12 meet at weekends over a six-month period and perform a final ‘showcase’ performance which is open to members of the public and invited industry figures.

 What we’re trying to do with the Serena Fenwick Programme is open up alternative routes into opera – a career which has traditionally required multiple (long and expensive) courses at conservatoires and universities.

Some of our participants might not be able to commit to a full-time education because of financial or family commitments. Others might be taking time to build other areas of their ‘portfolio’ careers. Whatever the reason, the Serena Fenwick Programme is designed to give them flexible, accessible, high quality training.

southbank sinfonia

Since 2004 we’ve partnered with Southbank Sinfonia, and they now play for all of our shows. Each year, Southbank Sinfonia welcomes 33 of the world’s most promising graduate musicians to embark on its renowned fellowship.

Players who have completed the fellowship now occupy prominent seats in leading orchestras worldwide. From the Philharmonia to the Hong Kong Philharmonic, each proudly acknowledges the positive impact that Southbank Sinfonia has made upon their progress. Many continue to play a valued role in the life of Southbank Sinfonia, returning as paid deputies and extras enabling us take on ambitious large-scale ventures, and coaching their successors.

With all the aspects of a full professional production process: two stage-and-orchestra rehearsals, a dress rehearsal, and then our performances at the Peacock Theatre to learn from, British Youth Opera’s work with Southbank Sinfonia sets our singers and assistant conductors up with all the first-hand experience they could need to repeat that process with confidence in the early stages of their professional careers. 

who’s who at byo