Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Opens Applications For Mentorship Programme

The Royal Ballet and Opera has opened applications for its year-long Overture mentorship programme as part of its commitment to offer resources, training and professional development opportunities to boost specialist skills amongst young people. 

Established in 2023 by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, in collaboration with Black Lives in Music and the National Open Youth Orchestra, Overture aims to remove barriers to the orchestral sector for young musicians (aged 18-25) from under-represented groups by providing tailored opportunities and mentoring. 

Previous cohort participants have gone on to postgraduate study at music college as well as trials or freelance work with professional orchestras, including with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.  

George Lawson, current cohort violinist, said, ‘The Overture programme has been one of the most musically enhancing programmes I’ve ever done. Being able to play with members of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House has been incredibly rewarding and I’ve learned so much from it. The mentors make a lot of time for us and we get to ask all our questions about how to play in ballet and opera productions, how to learn our parts and how to move forward after the year is over too. It’s been a fantastic experience.’ 

Each Season, musicians are partnered with a member of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, and receive various opportunities across both ballet and opera that includes playing alongside members of the Orchestra in side-by-side rehearsals, six lessons from their mentor, audition preparation, access to watch rehearsals, pastoral support from Black Lives in Music and the National Open Youth Orchestra, and more. 

Applications are open to those who identify as being from an underrepresented group, including (but not limited to), global majority, Disabled, LGBTQ+, and from a low-socio economic background, and play one of the offered instruments. The full list can be found below and on the website. 

At least one of the side-by-side rehearsal sessions is conducted by either the Music Director of The Royal Opera or The Royal Ballet, Jakub Hrůša and Koen Kessels, giving the cohort exposure to high profile conductors working on the international scene. 

Jakub Hrůša, Music Director of The Royal Opera said, ‘The experience of conducting wonderful Overture rehearsals with the amazing, talented young players sitting side-by-side with members of our orchestra is so stimulating and inspiring for me. In the most recent session, we shared not only technique and craft, but also analyses of compositional form and orchestration, poetry, history, our personal motivations, and felt the timeless depth of the great music on our stands. Of course, we also experienced moments of relaxation and entertaining humour. Personally, I realized how meeting young people, full of energy but also the highest expectations, always sparks the deepest professional and human creativity in me. I am very much looking forward to continuing to support this activity of our opera house.’ 

Koen Kessels, Music Director of The Royal Ballet said, ‘It’s truly wonderful to bring together young musicians with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House to make music. Exploring ballet and opera repertoire in this way – and working with exceptional dancers from the Royal Ballet – is an exciting and inspirational opportunity for everyone involved. Our mentees really learn the importance of connecting with other musicians in the Orchestra, the conductor and the dancers on stage, whilst our mentors enjoy sharing their expertise and passing on their knowledge to the next generation. It’s great to see everyone joining together to create this wonderful artform.’ 

The deadline for the first stage of applications, an expression of interest, is Monday 23 June 2025. 

Roger Wilson, Director of Operations, Black Lives in Music said, ‘I am thrilled at the prospect of the next iteration of Overture. It has been personally rewarding to see the programme develop and to understand how much the experience has meant to the many mentees already involved from far and wide across the UK. This is a unique opportunity for young musicians to be involved in what I believe to be the best mentoring programme of its type. The young people involved will have a visceral experience of working with three of the greatest artistic companies in the world, not to mention one-to-one mentoring with some of the world’s finest musicians. The legacy of this programme has already resulted in some of the mentees involved realising their dreams to play in the orchestra as paid professionals. However, for everyone who has been part of Overture, the insight and experience alone will remain with and enrich their lives for many years to come.’ 

Bea Hubble, Programme Manager, The National Open Youth Orchestra said, ‘It has been a delight to see and hear National Open Youth Orchestra musicians flourish throughout their involvement in the Royal Ballet & Opera’s Overture programme. It has given them a depth of orchestral experience from repertoire to rehearsals that they will carry with them for the rest of their musical careers.  The National Open Youth Orchestra is delighted to be in partnership with the Royal Ballet & Opera’s Overture programme as a clear pathway for the development of talented young disabled musicians.’ 

For more information and to apply, visit www.roh.org.uk/about/orchestra/orchestra-mentorship