About The Festival

What does this program offer?

Participants will engage in a comprehensive experience that bridges training and professional immersion. The program includes staged performance opportunities, expert coaching, masterclasses, and training activities, alongside practical exposure to life in a professional opera house - Opera Zuid. With its prime location at the crossroads of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, the program facilitates collaborations with nearby opera houses and festivals. These connections offer opportunities such as tours, Q&A sessions, auditions, networking, and performances, ensuring a rich and practical understanding of the European opera scene.

Professional recordings will be made of all performances - we know how important it is today to have recent, high quality materials. The NLO Festival will tailor performance opportunities to the singers who apply, ensuring a balanced distribution that meets demand rather than focusing disproportionately on a select few.

Who is this program for?

This program is designed for aspiring professional singers, of any age, eager to refine their artistry and develop a well-rounded skill set tailored to the opera world. Participants will polish their vocal technique, deepen their interpretative abilities, hone their stagecraft, and prepare a compelling audition package. Beyond performance skills, the program focuses on essential opera-business strategies, making it ideal for those looking to establish meaningful connections with northern European opera houses and agents.

How are we different?

> You’ll work with educators who are active in today’s European opera houses and have up-to-date information about the expectations of the current opera world.

> Immersion in a professional opera house, not a program in an isolated location.

> Created by you, for you: We designed the program by asking students exactly what they were looking for.

> Transparency: You know exactly where your money is going, you have a say over where your money gets spent and you are kept informed of the complete planning as it evolves.

Program Features

Fully Staged performances with professional orchestra

Stage director Noa Naamat brings her extensive experience from top European opera houses to build and refine your stagecraft during production rehearsals and push your limits as a performer on stage.

Conductor Lochlan Brown will work closely with you in rehearsals and coachings, equipping you with the tools to perform confidently with orchestra and achieve your highest musical level in every performance.

No cookie-cutter experiences: The repertoire will be tailored to the strengths and needs of selected singers, ensuring personalized artistic growth.

Masterclasses & Workshops

You will work on more than just crafting your talent as an opera singer. Our faculty will help you develop important career skills for the 21st-century such as navigating the complexities of the opera industry, CV development, online presence, and social media strategy. Workshops address real-world challenges, such as dealing with workplace dynamics, navigating conflicts, and adapting to modern opera industry demands. Additional specialized workshops focus on performance anxiety, mindfulness, and meditation.

Voice Lessons & Coachings

You will receive voice lessons, one-on-one coaching, and personalized audition preparation almost every day. Faculty members are not just educators but active professionals in today’s opera world, offering relevant, up-to-date insights.

The team combines respect for operatic traditions with a modern understanding of the opera world’s changing landscape. The training focuses on longevity, beauty, and agility, ensuring you can depend on your instrument throughout a long career.

Exposure to Real Opera Houses

Experience hands-on involvement in the daily workings of a professional opera house, hosted by Opera Zuid. The proximity to major cultural centers like Amsterdam, Brussels, and Cologne, facilitates collaboration with opera houses and festivals in the region.

Additionally, you will gain access to networking opportunities and events with casting agents, managers, and opera house professionals, as well as on-site auditions, and Q & A sessions with industry leaders. Access to world-class resources and venues opens the door to a truly professional European operatic experience.

Credits & Promotion

Performance credits will be listed on Operabase.

Professional recordings of performances will be made for your self-promotion, and personal or career needs.

*All production and rehearsal photos by Anna Mathioudaki

Your MOney,

Your Festival

Our vision is for an opera industry without closed doors or unfair deals.

We will do our part by trying to be as transparent as possible about where your money goes.

tuition fees & accommodation

tuition fee: €3.250,00

The fee includes all festival activities:

> Staged performance opportunities with orchestra

> Coaching, masterclasses, and daily training

> Insight into the work of a professional opera house

> Collaborations with nearby houses and festivals

> Tours, Q&A sessions, auditions, and networking

> High quality professional performance recordings

> Hot lunch provided 5 times a week

accommodation: €1.700,00

We have partnered with Dormio Resort Maastricht to provide our artists with comfortable, modern accommodation and easy access to both nature and the city. The resort offers houses with private bedrooms, terrace, free WiFi and flat-screen TVs, with luxury options that include a whirlpool and an in-house sauna. Our artists can enjoy the on-site restaurant and bar, free access to the swimming pool, and full use of the gym. Located next to International Golf Maastricht and scenic hiking paths, the resort is just a short distance from the centre of Maastricht.

Each artist will have their own private room in a three-bedroom apartment, complete with a shared kitchen.

dormio resort maastricht