Join us for a series of virtual talks with composers, directors, conductors, singers and executives in the opera industry.

Tune in to our live-streamed talks HERE.

Scroll down to watch our previous talks.


Edward Gardner
Jun
8

Edward Gardner

Edward Gardner is a British conductor. Chief Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic since 2015, he will join the London Philharmonic Orchestra as Principal Conductor in 2021. From 2006-2015, Gardner was Music Director at English National Opera.

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Sir Antonio Pappano
May
26

Sir Antonio Pappano

Sir Antonio Pappano is an English-Italian conductor and pianist. He is currently music director of the Royal Opera House and of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and the designated next chief conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra.

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Gavin Bryars
May
18

Gavin Bryars

Gavin Bryars is a British composer and double bass player. He has written five operas and his music covers jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, avant-garde and experimental music.

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Professor Naomi André
May
4

Professor Naomi André

Naomi André is a Professor of Women’s Studies, Afroamerican and African Studies, and Residential College Arts and Ideas at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on opera and issues surrounding gender, voice, and race.

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Anthony Roth Costanzo
Apr
28

Anthony Roth Costanzo

Anthony Roth Constanzo is an American countertenor, actor and producer. Constanzo has performed in opera houses around the world; his debut album ARC was nominated for a Grammy in 2019.

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Ella Marchment
Apr
20

Ella Marchment

Ella Marchment is a British auteur-director, spokesperson and leader in the arts. Ella is currently Artistic Director of Opera Festival Chicago, Founder of #OperaHarmony and the Director of the International Opera Awards.

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Philip Venables
Apr
6

Philip Venables

Philip Venables is a British composer of opera, music theatre, multimedia concert works, chamber music and song. Venables writes in an eclectic range of styles and influences, and themes such as social politics, violence, gender and storytelling. Operas include Denis & Katya (Opera Philadelphia) and 4.48 Psychosis (Royal Opera, London).

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Nadine Benjamin
Mar
30

Nadine Benjamin

Nadine Benjamin is a British lyric soprano in opera and song. From 2018-2020 she was an English National Opera Harewood Artist, she made her BBC Proms debut in 2019 and debuted at the Royal Opera House in 2020. Nadine is also a certified High Performance Coach and Mind Coach, who founded the mentorship programme ‘Everybody Can!’ to provide a platform to encourage and support others in recognising and achieving their own visions. .

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Peter Sellars **new date**
Mar
23

Peter Sellars **new date**

Peter Sellars is an American theatre director and librettist, noted for his unique contemporary stagings of classical and contemporary operas and plays. Sellars is a Professor at UCLA and is widely regarded as one of the key figures of theatre and opera of the last 50 years.

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Richard Thomas
Mar
2

Richard Thomas

Richard Thomas is a British musician, writer and comedy actor. He is best known for co-writing Jerry Springer: The Opera with comedian Stewart Lee and for writing the libretto for Anna Nicole.

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Danielle de Niese
Feb
23

Danielle de Niese

Danielle de Niese is an Australian-American soprano. She regularly appears on the world’s most prestigious opera and concert stages and is a prolific recording artist, TV personality and philanthropist.

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Annilese Miskimmon
Feb
16

Annilese Miskimmon

Annilese Miskimmon joined ENO as Artistic Director in May 2020. She was Director of Opera for Norwegian Opera and Ballet in Oslo and previously Artistic Director and General Manager of Danish National Opera.

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Dame Jane Glover
Feb
9

Dame Jane Glover

Acclaimed British conductor and musicologist Dame Jane Glover is the Felix Mendelssohn Visiting Professor of Opera at the Royal Academy of Music. She has been Music of the Baroque’s music director since 2002 and has held principal conductorships of both the Huddersfield and the London Choral Societies.

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Dr. Kamala Sankaram
Feb
2

Dr. Kamala Sankaram

Kamala Sankaram is a composer, vocalist, playwright and actress. She is best known for chamber operas about women who find themselves in situations where they are forced to confront patriarchal structures.

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Sir Graham Vick
Jan
26

Sir Graham Vick

Sir Graham Vick is the Artistic Director of Birmingham Opera Company and works in the world’s major opera houses with the world’s leading conductors: Muti, Levine, Haitink, Gergiev, Runnicles, Ozawa and Mehta.

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Panel event featuring Elaine Kidd, James Clutton and Nicola Candlish
Nov
30

Panel event featuring Elaine Kidd, James Clutton and Nicola Candlish

In this very exciting panel to end our series of talks for 2020, Zerlina will be speaking to Elaine Kidd (Head of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House), James Clutton (Director of Opera and Chief Executive of Opera Holland Park) and Nicola Candlish (Chief Executive of British Youth Opera).

We are thrilled to welcome our esteemed speakers to the final talk in 2020 for Opera in Conversation by Oxford Contemporary Opera.In this very exciting panel...

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Oliver Mears
Nov
25

Oliver Mears

Oliver Mears is Director of Opera at the Royal Opera House.

We are pleased to welcome Mr. Oliver Mears to our Opera in Conversation series Oliver Mears is Director of Opera at the Royal Opera House. Before joining Roy...

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Judith Weir
Nov
18

Judith Weir

Judith Weir is a British composer and first female Master of the Queen’s Music. Some of her notable works include King Harold’s Saga, The Black Spider, A Night at the Chinese Opera, The Vanishing Bridegroom and Blond Eckbert.

We are pleased to welcome Ms. Judith Weir to our Opera in Conversation series Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in but grew up near London. She stu...

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Barrie Kosky
Nov
9

Barrie Kosky

Barrie Kosky is the Intendant and Artistic Director of the Komische Oper Berlin. He has been awarded several prizes for his productions, such as the Theaterpreis Der Faust for his production of Aus einem Totenbaus 2009, the Laurence Olivier Award for Castor et Pollus 2011 and the International Opera Award in the category Director of the Year in 2014.

We are pleased to welcome Mr. Barrie Kosky to our Opera in Conversation series Barrie Kosky is the Intendant and Artistic Director of the Komische Oper Berli...

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Anthony Davis
Nov
5

Anthony Davis

Opera News has called Anthony Davis, “A National Treasure,” for his pioneering work in opera. His opera notably incorporate several styles including jazz, rhythm 'n' blues, gospel, non-Western, African, European classical, Indonesian gamelan, and experimental music

We are please to welcome Prof. Anthony Davis to our Opera in Conversation series Opera News has called Anthony Davis, "A National Treasure," for his pioneeri...

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