On Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 January 2026, the ten participants in our Opera Pioneers programme came together for an in-person module at the Royal Ballet and Opera in London. Over two packed days, the group explored what it takes to build an opera company from the ground up, from vision-setting and budgeting to branding, fundraising and confident pitching.

Opera Pioneer Philip said: 

“Overall, the two days were amazing. I got to learn a lot about opera and how much work goes on behind the scenes. But most importantly, I learnt to be more confident in myself without having to feel like I’m not myself.”

Opera Pioneer LJS said: 

“Getting to experience the Royal Ballet and Opera was amazing! It gave me such valuable insight into the potential roles someone could have at an establishment like that, which made me even more excited for my future work placement.”

Opera Pioneer Lady P said:

“Part of this journey with Streetwise Opera, particularly through the Pioneer programme, has been the opportunity to access professionals from all the relevant roles within an opera company. All of this learning and insight came to life when we visited the Royal Opera House, giving us a real sense of the environment and people we were preparing to work with.”

Day 1 Building the foundations

We began with a warm-up and name game led by Streetwise Opera Associate Artists and London Music Director Aga Serugo-Lugo. It set the tone for the day: open, energised and ready to collaborate.

The group then took part in a tour of the Royal Opera House, guided by Mark Heholt, Director of Policy and Strategy at the Royal Ballet and Opera. Seeing the building up close and hearing how a major organisation works behind the scenes helped ground the week in real-world context.

Next, Sonia Hyams, Executive Director of Pegasus Opera Company, shared the story of how Pegasus was founded and introduced the organisation’s Strategy 2026. She spoke about Pegasus’ mission to champion diversity and inclusion in opera by spotlighting underrepresented classical artists, developing new talent and commissioning innovative work shaped by grassroots involvement. Sonia also outlined key priorities for the years ahead, including audience growth, major partnerships, sustainable fundraising and flagship projects such as a planned Windrush Opera touring the UK in 2028.

The next two sessions, ‘Listening and being listened to’ and ‘What story are we telling with our bodies’, were led by actor and educator Alex MacLaren. Together, we explored how to create a positive space for co-creation and how to express ideas with confidence and care. These sessions helped build trust across the group and laid strong foundations for the work that followed.

In the afternoon, Streetwise Artistic Director Martin Constantine delivered a session on founding an opera company. Working in two groups, the Opera Pioneers developed their mission, vision and values, then shaped a practical programme of activity to bring those ideas to life.

The day ended with a session on budgets and finance led by Rhuti Carr, Head of Producing and Participation at Streetwise Opera. The Pioneers took part in a practical exercise, creating a mock budget for a first event and thinking through the decisions that shape what is possible in practice.

Day 2 Bringing it to life

Day 2 began with a session led by Rey Trombetta, Head of Marketing and Communications at Streetwise Opera, focused on designing a poster for an opera company. Rey explored what a poster needs to do: capture the spirit of a production, communicate key information quickly and spark engagement. The group looked at different poster styles, the importance of hierarchy and having a strong hook, plus what consistent branding looks like in practice, from logos and colour palettes to typography. The session ended with both groups designing posters to promote their own opera companies.

Next, Anna Hodgkinson, Head of Fundraising at Streetwise Opera, led a session unpacking what fundraising really is and why it matters. She introduced the main income streams, from public funding and trusts and foundations to corporate support, individual giving and events, and explained how fundraising grows through relationship-building and clear storytelling. The session also explored the fundraising cycle, the basics of approaching funders and why a strong case for support is essential for long-term success.

Matt Freeman, Director of Development at Welsh National Opera, then delivered a practical session on Individual Giving. He broke down the different ways people can support an organisation, from one-off donations and membership schemes to major gifts, Gift Aid and legacies. Matt also mapped out the supporter journey, showing how mailing list subscribers and ticket buyers can become regular donors over time, and why consistent communication and relationship management matter. He explored why people give, including personal connection, pride and social duty, and shared what helps an Individual Giving programme succeed: strong data and benchmarking, clear benefits and events, organisational buy-in and the capacity to steward supporters well. He also introduced fundraising principles such as reciprocity, positioning the ask and balancing emotion and evidence through ethos, pathos and logos.

Anna then led a practical exercise where each group created a short case for support for their opera company. Together, we set out the need, what the work does in response and the impact it can achieve. It was a valuable way to practise shaping a clear story that could sit behind an appeal or a conversation with a donor.

The Opera Pioneers were then treated to a performance by artists from the Royal Opera’s Jette Parker Artists Programme, a two-year scheme for emerging singers, conductors, répétiteurs and directors. It offered the group a glimpse of the next generation of operatic talent and a reminder of the range of skills and careers that make opera possible.

Final presentations

The module ended with presentations from both groups. Each opera company was introduced with a clear mission, values and tagline, followed by a walk-through of the proposed work, budget, marketing idea and fundraising pitch.

The Pioneers split speaking roles across the group, wrote a tight script around one headline message and practised simple techniques such as steady breathing, eye contact and clean handovers between speakers. The result was confident, focused delivery and a strong sense of shared ownership over what they had created together.

Across the module, Opera Pioneers developed practical tools they can take forward, including:

• turning ideas into a clear mission and programme
• understanding basic budgeting and financial decision-making
• building a simple brand and marketing hook
• shaping a case for support and learning the fundamentals of fundraising
• practising presentation skills and group collaboration

Thank you to the Royal Ballet and Opera for hosting us, and to all the speakers and session leaders who shared their time, expertise and encouragement. During both says, the Pioneers were mentored by our Producers in London, Nottingham and Manchester: Rowan Padmore, Laurence James-Davis and Gareth Smith, with the support of our Company Coordinator, Ruby Thorne.