RNCM alumni and students join the National Opera Studio

RNCM alumnus Peter Lidbetter is one of 16 young artists selected to take part in the 2025/26 National Opera Studio (NOS).

Supported by the Arts Council and working in partnership with English National Opera, Glyndebourne, Opera North, the Royal Ballet and Opera, Scottish Opera, and Welsh National Opera, the NOS Young Artist Programme offers professional training of the highest quality to singers and repetiteurs, providing tailor-made performance opportunities and invaluable coaching from some of the industry’s leading artists.

Peter Lidbetter (front right) as Simone in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, presented at the RNCM in 2018

Over the course of nine months, each young artist undergoes a rigorous programme that is individually designed around their vocal and developmental needs. It includes top-level coaching in music, vocals, and languages, training in stagecraft, physical disciplines, and resilience, and masterclasses, livestreamed recitals, concerts in London, and orchestral residencies.

New for 2025, the NOS also recently announced its academy for emerging singers aged 19 – 25 who are in the early stages of their musical journey and may have faced educational or professional barriers. This year’s intake includes RNCM alumni Gabriela Comeau Gort and Sarah Thomas, and fourth year undergraduates Sarah Rappoport and Clementine Thompson.

29 September 2025