RNCM reveals first artists on joint Creative Incubator with English National Opera
The RNCM has announced the inaugural artists on its new RNCM/ENO Creative Incubator programme – a unique partnership jointly developed with the English National Opera (ENO) to provide space and opportunity for North West-based opera, music, theatre, film, and visual artists to create original work.
Award-winning screenwriter Stefanie Reynolds, composer and multidisciplinary musician Thandanani Gumeda, and inclusive dance artist Matthew Rawcliffe will be the first to benefit from the year-long development programme, receiving dedicated workshop and rehearsal space, mentoring, financial support, creative and business skills training, as well as learning, shadowing, and collaborative opportunities with the support of ENO and the RNCM.
The Creative Incubator is rooted in a shared ambition to support innovation in opera-making and to create new ways for audiences and communities to connect with the artform. It will also champion new voices and underrepresented artists, supporting them to build sustainable creative careers.
Stefanie Reynolds is a mixed heritage, working class, neurodivergent, screenwriter and playwright from Manchester. She was part of the Offie Award-winning podcast series The Waves with her audio drama Baby Mama (2022), and her subsequent play, Danesha, opened at The Lowry in 2024. More recently, she adapted A Doll’s House for the Almedia 14-18 Young Company.
Stefanie says she relishes the opportunity to be immersed in a different artistic practice. ‘I’m excited to see how far I can push my own artistry as well as learn new skills and build a network in a new creative field.’
Thandanani (Thanda) Gumeda is a composer, vocalist, and integrated artist of Xhosa and Zulu heritage, originally from South Africa and now based in Leeds and Manchester. Thanda’s music blends African traditional sounds with jazz, gospel, classical, and neo-soul, and he has performed at the BBC Proms, Roundhouse Theatre, Buxton Opera House, and at Buckingham Palace for Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. He is also an author and broadcaster, an Opera North Resonance Alumnus, and Manchester Jazz Festival board member. He says: ‘I am more thankful than I can express – what an incredible honour.’
Matthew Rawcliffe is the winner of the contemporary dance category in the BBC’s Young Dancer 2019 competition and played the title role in the Danish Royal Theatre’s production of Pinocchio. He has recently performed in opera as a stunt performer at Bregenzer Festspiele, Austria, and is currently working on an Arts Council England funded tour of his own work, Hades & Persephone – a sensory dance show for young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).
He says: ‘I am now delighted to explore how I can bring my voice as a maker, working in inclusive sensory practice, to the world of opera! I feel that some really magical things can emerge as part of this process.’
Speaking to the importance of the new programme, Jennie McCusker, Executive Director of Creative Engagement at ENO, said: ‘The Creative Incubator does exactly what the name suggests – it creates the space, time, and support for artists to explore new ideas, build new collaborations, and test what opera might become.
‘Supporting artists and investing in the future of opera has always been integral to ENO’s ethos. We’re delighted to be working in partnership with the RNCM to create an opportunity rooted in the North West and to invest in artists at a crucial point in the development of their practice.
‘What’s particularly exciting is the freedom the Incubator gives artists to explore, experiment, and take creative risks. It’s about creating the conditions for artists to be ambitious and curious, and I’m really looking forward to seeing where that takes them.’
RNCM Deputy Principal and Artistic Director, Manus Carey, adds: ‘Opera has always been such a central part of the life of the RNCM. We have a culture here that believes strongly in reimagining and reinventing in order to keep our artform fresh, relevant, and exciting, and this scheme has grown out of the joint recognition between ourselves and ENO that we need to provide support for the creation of completely new stories, new voices, and new approaches within the world of opera.
‘The format and content of this initiative is intentionally very open, so that we can support artists working across different disciplines and practices, and even artists with no previous experience of creating opera, with what they need to develop their ideas and craft.’
8 October 2026
