News & Views

Five thoughts from the UK Opera Association Conference

Audition Oracle – Wed 22 Jul 2026 @ 6:55

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the UK Opera Association Conference.

Audition Oracle occupies a slightly unusual place within the opera sector. We aren't a producing company nor a freelance artist. Yet we've been part of the opera landscape for more than 13 years, helping artists and opportunities discover each other. As a former freelance singer myself, I was curious to hear the conversations shaping the future of UK opera from both an artist's perspective and as someone now working across the wider sector.

Rather than attempting to summarise every session, I thought I'd share five themes that struck me during the day.

1. The conversation has moved beyond simply making great opera

Much of the day wasn't about productions or repertoire. It was about the systems that allow opera to exist: funding, governance, recruitment, fair work, sponsorship, cross-artform collaboration and organisational resilience.

Great art still sits at the heart of everything we do, but great art also depends on healthy organisations. The conversations reflected a recognition that if we want artists to thrive, the organisations around them have to thrive too.

2. Fair work is finally becoming a central conversation

One of the most valuable discussions for me centred on what good, fair work actually looks like, particularly for freelancers, who make up the majority of the opera workforce.

Bill Bankes-Jones spoke thoughtfully about the realities of freelance life, and one statistic stopped the room. When the hours involved in creating a commissioned work were broken down, one composer's earnings worked out at around 80 pence an hour.

The figure was shocking, but sadly not unfamiliar. I found myself wondering what the equivalent hourly rate would look like for a freelance singer in 2026 once all the preparation, coaching, language work and practice that happens outside a paid rehearsal or performance is taken into account. 

My first full year working as an opera singer, back in 2002/03, I earned somewhere around £8,500 in total, despite spending much of the year touring and saying yes to almost every opportunity that came my way. I believe I worked all but one week that year. That £8,500 wasn't a salary; it was everything I earned, from which I still had to cover travel, touring accommodation and all the other costs of being freelance. Looking back, I probably wouldn't recommend quite that approach! 

Yet more than twenty years later, some companies are still offering remarkably similar fees.

That isn't simply failing to keep pace with inflation. It raises difficult questions about what a sustainable freelance career actually looks like.

These conversations are important because talented artists can only remain in the profession if they are able to build financially viable lives alongside artistic fulfilment. Diversity within the art form will always be limited if only those with independent means can afford to stay.

3. Thinking beyond funding

I was encouraged to hear Flora McIntosh of OperaUpClose draw attention to the need to think more like businesses. It's a perspective I've shared for many years. Thinking commercially doesn't mean compromising artistic ambition. Whether an organisation is a charity, CIC or not-for-profit, it still needs to understand its audiences, build relationships, generate sustainable income and think strategically if it is to flourish over the long term.

That mindset was reflected elsewhere in discussions about sponsorship. One speaker encouraged arts organisations to stop approaching businesses simply as potential donors. Instead, the advice was to begin with curiosity: What are that organisation's objectives? How might you help them achieve those objectives too?

It reframes sponsorship from a one-sided request for support into a partnership where both organisations benefit.

It also left me wondering whether we sometimes focus too heavily on annual funding rounds and short-term income. John Gilhooly's leadership at Wigmore Hall immediately came to mind. Although not an opera company, he has transformed the Hall's financial position by building an endowment of such scale that it is now financially independent, able to operate without relying on regular public funding and instead supported by the income generated from its investments.

It made me wonder whether there are lessons there for opera. Could more organisations think not only about closing next year's funding gap, but about building permanent financial assets that strengthen artistic freedom for generations to come?

The same principle applies to artists. Most freelancers are, in effect, running small businesses. We spend years developing our craft, yet often give far less attention to marketing, financial planning, networking and long-term resilience. Those things aren't separate from artistry; in many cases, they're what make an artistic career sustainable.

For the many artists who also run their own companies, festivals or charities, there were some particularly useful ideas. One recommendation I hadn't come across before was Reach Volunteering (https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/), a platform that connects charities, not-for-profits and social enterprises with experienced volunteers. One organisation described how a finance professional had volunteered their expertise for several years, helping to strengthen the organisation before eventually becoming a significant donor.

It was a useful reminder that people often contribute far more than money when they genuinely believe in an organisation's purpose and the people working tirelessly to keep it moving.

4. Demonstrating impact through data remains important

Again and again, conversations returned to impact.

How do we know who we're reaching? How do we demonstrate the value of what we do? How do we show funders, sponsors and supporters that their investment has made a difference? 

If public funding remains a significant part of the sector's future, these questions retain their importance. Artistic excellence remains at the heart of the work, but organisations also need to demonstrate the difference that work makes. In other words: data, data, data.

5. Collaboration is becoming part of the culture

Perhaps my biggest takeaway was how openly people shared ideas.

Nobody pretended the challenges facing opera were small, but organisations spoke honestly about what had worked, what hadn't and what they were still trying to figure out. There was a generosity in those conversations that I hope continues.

Opera has never lacked passionate people. The more willing we are to learn from one another across organisations, disciplines and roles, the stronger the sector will become.

There was plenty that I'd have liked to explore further, and I was sorry to have to choose between sessions. A previous commitment meant I had to miss Annilese Miskimmon's closing address. But having listened to Thangam Debbonaire, UKOA's CEO, and Bob Willard-Watts, its COO, throughout the day, I left feeling hopeful that the UK Opera Association might finally succeed where the Opera & Music Theatre Forum, and later Opera UK, both sought to become a strong, unified voice for opera across the UK.

Permalink

Music Makers: with Helena Dix, Soprano

Audition Oracle – Mon 6 Jul 2026 @ 14:00

Arias we love and live with

We are delighted to welcome soprano Helena Dix, internationally acclaimed for her radiant voice, vocal brilliance, and commanding stage presence. Renowned for her portrayals of Verdi and bel canto heroines, she is a magnetic performer who brings humour, personality, and unapologetic theatricality to everything she does. Instantly recognisable both for her artistry and her signature spectacles, Helena combines exceptional musical insight with a captivating connection to audiences.

Aria you hum round the house / sing in the shower

Usually whatever I'm working on at the time. Otherwise “Bella siccome un angelo” (Don Pasquale) because I'm a closet case Baritone or “Una furtiva lagrima” (L’elisir d’amore) because it's gorgeous and the tenors shouldn't hog it.

First aria you remember learning

“Una donna a quindici anni” (Così fan tutte). When I retire I would like to go out singing Despina. But would the world be ready?

Aria you rely on professionally

“Porgi amor” (Le nozze di Figaro). Great for getting the breath and line warmed up and it helped nurse my lungs back to health after my horrific encounter with Covid.

Last piece of music you deliberately chose to listen to

The movie soundtrack for Sister Act 2 puts me in the most JOYFUL of moods!

Aria you feel most emotionally connected to

The final Queen Elizabeth aria in Roberto Devereux. Epic and all the feels from a formidable woman. 

Aria you wish you could sing / would love to learn next

Luisa Miller is DEFINITELY on my hit list for potential future fun, so any of those arias.

Explore more of Helena Dix’’s work www.helenadix.com

Permalink

Music Makers: with Matthew Rose, Bass

Audition Oracle – Wed 17 Jun 2026 @ 0:55

Arias we love and live with

We are delighted to welcome bass Matthew Rose, acclaimed for the depth, authority, and dramatic conviction of his performances on the world’s leading opera and concert stages. Renowned for his interpretations of Mozart, Wagner, and the great choral repertoire, he brings a compelling combination of vocal power, musical insight, and commanding stage presence to every performance.

1. Aria you hum around the house / sing in the shower

Whatever is being cooked up… at the moment I have the great pleasure of learning Don Carlo in Italian (have done before at Met in French). Some rather good tunes in that one!

2. First aria you remember learning

“O Isis und Osiris” (Mozart, Die Zauberflöte). Young bass. Enough said. 

3. Aria you rely on professionally

A Midsummer Night’s Dream was the opera that opened all the doors to me at the beginning of my career, especially at Glyndebourne where they were brave enough to give the amazing role of Bottom to me, a then 26 year old recent graduate, so “Bottom’s Dream” is the aria I am most grateful to.

4. Last piece of music you deliberately chose to listen to

I just returned home to find Raphael Pichon’s St John Passion sitting on my doorstep (yes I still buy CDs) so I have that on right now. Utterly amazing. What brilliant singing colleagues I have.

5. Aria you feel most emotionally connected to

“Ella giammai m’amo” from Don Carlo Act 3 (or 4 on 5 act version): just the most amazing act in the opera. This aria (and then duet for 2 basses after) the greatest gift, and Verdi writing at his most tender about the most powerful man in the world, who cannot have the one thing he truly desires, the love of his wife.

6. Aria you wish you could sing / would love to learn next

Parsifal is the opera I most want to sing; it’s first act is just the best musical experience I know… so Gurnemanz is the role I would love to do, and I guess some of his passages could be considered arias. I do lots of teaching, and “Deh, per questo istante solo” from La clemenza di Tito is the one I wish to hear the most… so maybe that’s on my wish list somehow.


Explore more of Matthew Rose’s work https://askonasholt.com/artist/matthew-rose

Permalink

Music Makers: with Jennifer Johnston, mezzo-soprano

Audition Oracle – Wed 27 May 2026 @ 8:19

Arias we love and live with

We are delighted to welcome international mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston, celebrated for the warmth and intelligence of her performances across the concert platform and operatic stage. Equally at home in Mahler, Britten, and contemporary repertoire, she brings a rare combination of emotional insight, vocal richness, and communicative power to every performance.

1. Aria you hum round the house / sing in the shower

Carmen’s “Habañera”. I never understand people labelling it clichéd. I love how sultry and sinuous it is, plus it’s a great warm up.

2. First aria you remember learning

Cherubino’s “Non so più’ (Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro). It was one of my grade 8 pieces when I was 15. 

3. Aria you rely on professionally

Jezibaba’s “Čury mury fuk” (Dvořák, Rusalka), when she casts a spell to remove Rusalka’s tail along with her voice. There’s something delicious about the words. 

4. Last piece of music you deliberately chose to listen to

Sir James MacMillan’s “O Radiant Dawn”. I would like this sung at my funeral.

5. Aria you feel most emotionally connected to

“Marietta’s Lied” (Korngold, Die tote Stadt). Famed for a reason, it perfectly encapsulates feelings of grief and lost love without it descending into mawkishness. 

6. Aria you wish you could sing / would love to learn next

Madama Butterfly’s final aria “Tu, piccolo iddio”. I’m a Suzuki, not a Butterfly, but I wish I could sing this aria, which is beautiful yet utterly heartbreaking. 

Explore more of Jennifer Johnston’s’ work https://www.jenniferjohnstonmezzo.com/

Permalink

Music Makers: with Roderick Williams

Audition Oracle – Tue 5 May 2026 @ 10:39

This week we welcome baritone and composer Roderick Williams, whose expressive storytelling, stylistic versatility, and thoughtful musicianship have made him one of the most distinctive voices in opera, oratorio, and song.

1. Aria you hum round the house / sing in the shower

Okay - it’s a bit weird… but I often sing “La donna e mobile” in the shower (possibly a bit lower than written) to my own words “I am a baritone: I should have stayed at home…” and so on.

2. First aria you remember learning

One of my first singing teachers taught me “Thus saith the Lord” and “For he is like a refiner’s fire” from Handel’s Messiah. I sang them at my choral scholarship auditions. I didn’t realise till some time later that the aria is normally sung by an alto.

3. Aria you rely on professionally

It’s likely I’ve sung the Messiah arias more than any other. Calculating conservatively, I’d say I’ve sung 4 a year for the last 35 years but it could easily be more than that. And as a baritone rather than a bass, I actively look forward to “The Trumpet Shall Sound”. The other bass arias in Messiah can be a bit forbidding but this one is full of joy and hope.

4. Last piece of music you deliberately chose to listen to

Mahler’s First Symphony. Don’t laugh, but I’m due to conduct it soon, for a chamber ensemble. I’m trying to immerse myself in as many different performances as possible.

5. Aria you feel most emotionally connected to

This took me a while to unpack, because the operatic characters I have played are experiencing situations I have never (and hopefully will never) experience myself. To see the world through their eyes is cathartic for me but it is not my story. The closest I can suggest is Billy Budd’s aria “Look through the port” because of his relentless positivity in the face of dire circumstances. But I am not Billy: that is not my life and I am not that person.

6. Aria you wish you could sing / would love to learn next

When your voice eventually settles you come to terms with the fact that there are arias you will never sing. I will never sing Puccini’s greatest tenor arias - “Che gelida la manina” for example. I suspect my tenor friends would say I’m well rid! But to be able to nail that… what a thrill!!

Explore more of Roderick Williams’ work https://www.grovesartists.com/artist/roderick-williams/

Permalink