Leeds School of Arts partners with Northern Opera Group to create local training opportunities

Leeds Beckett University will host a Northern Opera Group performance of Handel’s ‘Silla’ this week in the university’s new performance facilities.

The Leeds Opera Festival event takes place in the Leeds School of Arts theatre between August 25 and 27, marking a new partnership between the school and Northern Opera Group.

The partnership will create more performance and training opportunities for students, academics, and the wider community in Leeds and West Yorkshire. Students from the university have been actively involved in the organisation of the production, showcasing their enthusiasm and dedication to develop key career skills.

Leeds School of Arts has recently expanded its facilities, with most of the courses, including Music, Sound and Performing Arts, moving to a new, £80m building, which offers industry-standard resources, including technical and rehearsal theatre facilities and cinema.

Dr Mark Flisher, head of subject for Music, Sound and Performing Arts at Leeds Beckett University, commented: “We are incredibly excited to have Northern Opera Group use our facilities as the first professional company to perform in our theatre.

“Northern Opera Group shares our School’s ethos in creating exciting, innovative and alternative arts practice, and I’m sure this partnership will provide exciting opportunities for our students and staff in the future.”

David Ward, artistic director at Northern Opera Group, added: “I’m thrilled that we will be able to work closely with Leeds School of Arts on this year’s Festival and beyond. They have unrivalled rehearsal and performance facilities in Leeds, and a hugely talented student population and expert academic team who can bring so much to our work.

“We’ve always been committed to drawing on the ideas and expertise of creatives working outside opera to bring something new to our work. This collaboration promises to expand our creative possibilities, as well as inspire new generations of young people to discover opera here in Leeds.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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