Kevin Thraves
Deputy Head of Opera
DipRCM(Hons), ARCM
Email: [email protected]
School of Vocal Studies and Opera – school management responsibilities/music staff/coach/repetiteur
Repetiteur Studies – course leader and principal study professor
RNCM Opera – coordinator/vocal coach/chorus master
School of Vocal Studies and Opera – organisation of opera scenes
Junior Fellow Repetiteur – mentor
School of Vocal Studies and Opera – recitative class tutor
Prior to being appointed as Deputy Head of Opera in the School of Vocal Studies and Opera at the Royal Northern College of Music, Kevin worked as a freelance repetiteur, opera music staff, and as a collaborative pianist with numerous professional companies and organisations.
Kevin has worked for many leading opera companies and orchestras including English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera North, The Hallé, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata, The Academy of Ancient Music, The BBC Proms, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
UK concert appearances include the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, St John’s Smith Square, St Martin in-the-Fields, the Royal Albert Hall, St David’s Hall in Cardiff, and the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. Kevin’s varied recital career led to many performances across Europe, Asia, and Oceania.
Kevin has delivered masterclasses throughout the UK, Scandinavia, Canada, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Australia, India, and the USA.
Recent commercial recordings include Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder, Britten’s Peter Grimes, Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette, Cellier’s Dorothy, and Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra. In 2025, Kevin was invited to sit as a panel member for the Voices of Black Opera international singing competition.
Undergraduate Teaching
Recitative Class
Operatic role coaching
Opera scenes coaching
Opera chorus master
Postgraduate Teaching
Recitative class
One to one vocal coaching
Opera scenes coaching
Opera chorus master
Repetiteur Studies – Principal Study professor
Junior fellow repetiteur – mentor
Selected Outputs
- Kevin Thraves, ‘Why classical singers are like Olympic athletes’, ROH – News, (2016).
- Kevin Thraves, ‘Training to be a Repetiteur’, The Classical Piano and Music Education Blog, (2015).
- Kevin Thraves, ‘Training to be a Repetiteur’, European Piano Teachers Association, (2015).
- Hull University Music Analysis Conference (HUMAC) , , University of Hull, 2003
- Verdi La Traviata, , Erin Arts Centre
- Roger Steptoe Five Shakespeare Songs for Tenor and Piano, Thomas Morss – Tenor; Kevin Thraves – Piano , RNCM Concert Hall, Manchester
- Hockney to Hogarth: A Rakes Progress, 2012, , Whitworth Art Gallery
- Rossini La Cenerentola, , Mananan International Opera Festival
- Humperdinck Hansel and Gretel, , Mananan International Opera Festival
- Mozart Cosi Fan Tutte, , Mananan International Opera Festival
- Donizetti L’elisir d’amore, , Erin Arts Centre
- Verdi Rigoletto, , Erin Arts Centre
- Puccini Tosca, , Erin Arts Centre
- Hommage a Debussy, , Uzerche, France
- Pergolesi La Serva Padrona, , Uzerche, France
- Walt Whitman 2016,
- Rossini La Ceneretola, Goldberg Ensemble, Ryedale Festival
- Mozart Don Giovanni, Goldberg Ensemble, Ryedale Festival
- Rossini Il Barbiere di Siviglia, , Mananan International Opera Festival
- Puccini Madama Butterfly,
- Malcolm Williamson A Year of Birds, , Royal Albert Hall
- Monteverdi Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda,
- Gilbert and Sullivan Here’s a How de do, The Northern Chamber Orchestra, Wyn Davies, Manchester BBC, 1998
- Balfe Satanella, Bonynge, Naxos, 2014
- Hommage a Debussy, , 2012
- Mozart Cosi Fan Tutte, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Rattle, EMI
- Williamson A Year of Birds, BBC Concert Orchestra, Wordsworth
- Mozart and his Contemporaries, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Marriner, EMI
- Amanda Roocroft, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Welser-Most, EMI
- University of Hull Music Department Masterclass , Masterclass – Vocal Coaching and Interpretation, University of Hull, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
- Conter Opera – Masterclass , Solo Performer Masterclass, ,
- La Boheme Workshop , Secondary School Workshop, St Helens,
- Hansel and Gretel Workshop , Secondary School Workshop, St Helens,
- La Boheme Workshop , Secondary School Workshop, Liverpool,
- Mazepa , Welsh National Opera Educational Workshops, ,
Journal Articles
Conference Contributions
Performances
Recordings
Talks, Workshops and Masterclasses
