In harmony

It might have been 25 years in the making, but earlier this year the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and Opera North announced a new partnership aimed at nurturing and inspiring young musical talent in the North.

Since the late 1980s, when the RNCM and Opera North presented a joint production of Massenet’s opera Manon, the two organisations have enjoyed an informal relationship. Over the past 25 years the companies maintained strong connections. Opera North worked regularly with singers and tutors from the RNCM, and offered opportunities for singers to come and see dress and working rehearsals.

Now, with the backing of patrons Sir Willard White, Sir John Tomlinson, Joan Rodgers CBE and Alice Coote, the partnership has become official, providing exciting professional development opportunities for RNCM student singers and instrumentalists at Opera North, as they prepare for their future.

Freelance theatre director Caroline Clegg has been employed to develop the partnership. She will be based at the RNCM one day a week and will set up the framework for the programme. Making the partnership official has meant we are able to give the curriculum a solid structure. We are also able to collaborate together to enhance funding opportunities; develop academic research and outreach work; take more time to prepare student singers and musicians for their professional careers; and explore the creativity of the North more extensively.

RNCM students already work in the chorus at Opera North, but the partnership means that we can develop this experience further. Singers will be mentored by those already in the profession, many of whom will be RNCM alumni, and they will also get to experience the business side of an opera company. It’s about enabling singers and musicians to be fully-prepared for a life outside of college.

Five years ago Opera North collaborated with the University of Leeds to create DARE, a ground-breaking project that probes new ways of thinking about excellence in learning, performance and academic study. The partnership was established in order to unite the artistic with the academic. Thanks to this new partnership, the RNCM is able to get involved officially, creating stronger opportunities for students and artists to work together. It’s all about enhancing what we are able to offer students, not just academically as they complete their studies, but professionally as well.