Opera Making and Writing (Taught)

Course summary

This Masters programme, part of an exciting partnership between Guildhall School and the Royal Opera House, allows composers and writers to focus on how new opera is created, developed and performed. The programme is coordinated in close collaboration with the School’s award-winning Opera Department, its Technical Theatre Department and colleagues at the Royal Opera House. It enables students to acquire first-hand experience of the day-to-day workings of the Royal Opera House while receiving individually-tailored one-to-one tuition from the School’s Writer-in-Residence, Stephen Plaice, or from a member of the School’s world-class Composition Department such as department Head Julian Philips. Specifically focusing on operatic composition and the theatre, the core programme activity supports writers and composers to work collaboratively on the creation of a new chamber operatic work. This piece will be rehearsed, produced and premiered by the Opera programme in Guildhall School’s new Milton Court Studio Theatre. Additional projects allow writers to focus more specifically on their own creative practice – whether poetry, prose or dramatic script – and composers to develop their craft in writing for the operatic voice.

Modules

Modules include: Induction project; Principal Study: Opera Making and Writing; Integration; Writing for Performance; Writing Opera: researching text in the creation of contemporary opera; Analysis; Conducting; Electro-acoustic Music; Research in Performance, Composition and Leadership; Aesthetics & the Philosophy of Art.

Assessment method

Assessment is mostly based on the evaluation of product (e.g. creative outputs and written submissions) but learning processes and the development of collaborative skills are assessed too. The main types of assessment are: written submissions and portfolio work, individual presentations and progress reports. An element of peer assessment is incorporated into the Principal Study Group Work grade to reflect the collaborative nature of this module.

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirement for applicants is an upper second class honours degree in music with a composition specialism (for composers) or arts specialism (for writers). Applications will be considered from students with other degrees, provided the quality of their work is equivalent to the expected academic standards for this level 7 programme. Applicants to the composition pathway will be expected to submit a portfolio of three compositions - minimum duration of four to six minutes per piece - (with recordings). Applicants for the writer pathway will be expected to submit a portfolio of writing – 15 poems or 5000 words of prose, or dramatic script (up to 30 pages).

English language requirements

Test	Grade	Additional details
IELTS (Academic)	7	Non-native speakers of English must achieve prior to entry a minimum IELTS Academic Training Band Score of 7 with a minimum of 6.0 in all components

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Additional fee information

Fees are variable depending on the mode of study. Please consult the School website for more information: https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/study-with-guildhall/fees-and-funding

Sponsorship information

The School does its best to ensure that no student who is offered a place on merit is prevented from taking up that place on grounds of financial hardship and so a range of financial support is offered. The School offers a wide range of scholarships to students regardless of domicile. A scholarship award may be made to cover either the full cost of tuition fees or a fraction of them, and may include an element for maintenance. Awards are made by academic staff to individuals on the basis of their talent, their potential and their personal financial need. Applicants may be considered for a scholarship at audition and a scholarship may be given along with an offer of a place at the School. All students who accept a place at the School can also apply for scholarship support.