Opera

• As a member of the David Seligman Opera School, you’ll develop your talent through studying every aspect of opera training. The David Seligman Opera School at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama offers a fully integrated operatic training experience. 
• Our specialist teachers’ extensive operatic experience will prepare you for the demands and requirements of this competitive industry.
• As part of your fully integrated operatic training you’ll have opportunities to work with, and learn from leading visiting artists, singers, coaches and opera company professionals, recent visiting artistic such as including Maestro Carlo Rizzi, Susan Bullock, Gerald Finley and Sir Antonio Pappano.
• Our close, creative partnership with Welsh National Opera (WNO) means you’ll benefit from many opportunities to attend company dress rehearsals, study with resident music staff and take part in WNO Youth Opera Young Company productions.
• The Opera School also has strong links with key opera companies including Scottish Opera, Opera North and the Royal Opera House, giving students a variety of industry linked experiences such as mentoring, coaching and observational experience.
• In addition to specialist programmes of study for singers, directors and repetiteurs, the Opera School creates vibrant cross departmental collaboration for instrumental performers, conductors, stage managers, designers and composers to work together in a unique and world-class training environment.
• BBC Cardiff Singer of the World’s Song Prize takes place at RWCMD every two years, giving you the opportunity to take part in masterclasses and watch world-class young talent.

In association with WNO, the Opera School provides enhanced opportunities for students to work with, and learn from, leading international artists and practitioners.

As one of the leading advanced opera training programmes in the UK our students are immersed in an unparalleled learning environment, where the concept of ‘company’ is at the heart of our ethos.

RWCMD opera graduates can currently be seen with English National Opera (ENO), Welsh National Opera (WNO), Opera North, Glyndebourne, as well as with opera houses throughout Europe and North America. There are currently RWCMD opera graduates in Young Artists programmes including National Opera Studio, Jette Parker at ROH and Hannover Opera Ensemble.

Some have continued their studies at the National Opera Studio and Jette Parker Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House.

James Southall is a conductor and pianist who currently serves as Music Director of the David Seligman Opera School at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He spent nearly 15 years with Welsh National Opera, conducting a wide range of productions including Madama Butterfly, La Traviata, Carmen, Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute, Così fan tutte, Die Fledermaus, and The Barber of Seville.

In addition to his work with WNO, James has conducted for companies and orchestras such as English Touring Opera, Sinfonia Cymru, L’Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano e Trento, and Camerata Nordica. He has also worked with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Teatro Real Madrid, and La Monnaie in Brussels.

As a pianist, James has performed at venues including Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall. He has received recognition as a former winner of the Accompanist’s Prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Awards and the Maggie Teyte Competition. He has collaborated with artists such as Sir Bryn Terfel, Elizabeth Watts, Ailish Tynan, Elizabeth Atherton, and Jessica Robinson.

James studied at Queens’ College, Cambridge, where he was an Organ Scholar, and at the Royal College of Music, London. He combines his performing career with a commitment to education and mentoring young musicians.