Opera UCT

Upcoming productions

Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw

Full of dramatic and musical suspense, The Turn of the Screw chillingly confronts a theme which consumed Britten for much of his career: the loss of innocence.

More info

Programme details

Opera UCT is widely recognised as a leader in the transformation of opera, offering comprehensive operatic training. Students gain practical experience through professional performances, including those at the Baxter and Artscape Theatres.

We are proud to have produced some of the finest artists singing throughout the world today. The eyes of the international opera world are keenly watching for the emergence of new major talents from here. We are eager to take you on the journey to become profoundly expressive artists, if that is the path you wish to follow.

Courses (degrees and diplomas) offered

Performance Diploma (Opera) – 3 years
BMus Degree (Opera Performance) – 4 years
Postgraduate Diploma in Performance (Opera) – 2 years
BMus Honours (Opera Performance) – 1 year
MMus (Opera Performance) – 2 years
PhD – 3 years

Performance majors

Vocal training is only one of the skills required to perform opera. Singing, musicianship, language and acting are of equal importance to vocal technique in achieving this goal. Opera UCT is for those who work hard at all four areas.

To be an undergraduate member of Opera UCT, you have to be enrolled in both Lyric Diction and Opera Training courses.

Casting decisions are made to facilitate the instruction and growth of our young singers and to meet the performance needs of Opera UCT.

For productions which are entirely run by Opera UCT, roles are primarily distributed amongst current students. However, if other singers for roles are needed, the Director has the prerogative to go outside the programme and use alumni, staff and / or other professionals. The directors of the production must ensure that the highest standards are maintained.

For collaborations with other performing organisations, for example Cape Town Opera, roles are distributed between members of both institutions.

We sometimes double cast, and we often have an understudy cast (“covers”) as well, who learn the production and are capable and ready to step up into a performance if so required.

Professor Jeremy Silver

Vocal Coach / Répétiteur

Ian Bothma

Vocal Coach / Répétiteur

Plan of Study & Course descriptions

Click here for more details of academic courses

Audition and pre-screening information

Entrance requirements:

Diploma students require a pass in matric.

Degree students require a Bachelors pass.

Auditions will be strictly by appointment only. As soon as you have applied to UCT and have a student number, please contact music@uct.ac.za to schedule your audition date and time.

Audition requirements for all Opera UCT courses can be found here:

opera_uct_audition_requirements_2024.pdf

Preview image for the video remote "UCT OPERA SCHOOL - I Capuletti e I Montecchi".

Masterclasses

Masterclass are hosted regularly with visiting artists, distinguished alumni and experts in the field of Opera. Masterclasses for 2024 include:

Sarah-Jane Davies - Head of Casting at Scottish Opera and Director of the Young Artists Programme at Les Azuriales Opera in France.
Janet Haney - Opera UCT welcomes internationally renowned opera coach, Janet Haney, for her third annual residency in April. Her visit comprises intensive one-to-one sessions and culminates in a public masterclass on the final day.
Michelle Breedt - a regular guest at the Wiener Staatsoper, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Semperoper Dresden and the Hamburgische Staatsoper.

Book Launches

In 2024, Opera UCT will be presenting book launches of three important new publications, celebrating the culmination of scholarly endeavours and the power of literature to enlighten and inspire. As an institution deeply rooted in both academia and performance, we take immense pride in presenting these illuminating works that traverse diverse realms of knowledge and creativity.

Dr Wayne Muller Opera in Cape Town: The Critic’s Voice
Dr Hilde Roos, Ferrol-Jon Davids, Dr Chris Walton “SORRY. I AM WHAT I AM.” The life and letters of the South African pianist and opera coach Gordon Jephtas (1943-92)
Magriet Stemmet South African Envoys of Opera