ABOUT

WANT TO KNOW A BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO?

NSOS believes that opera has the potential to be a universal genre. However, many young people in the UK do not have the chance to access opera. NSOS aims to change the face of opera by forming networks, sharing resources and holding events that help to destigmatize opera as a genre. 

OPERA IS:

Centuries of history.

An all-rounded means of expression.

Some of the most wonderful stories.

And yet.

We know that today opera doesn't necessarily sound like your go-to pass-time for Saturday night. We also know how many preconceptions go hand-in-hand with saying "I'm going to the opera".

Well.

One of our main mission as a society is to break those misconceptions down. We want to paint as real a picture as we can of opera for young people and, to do that, we want to provide a range of resources for any budding opera societies out there. This includes suggestions on how to get people involved, social opera-related events, and even potential funding!

Another aim of ours is to give young operatic professionals and amateurs a platform to communicate ideas and opportunities. We want to give you access to resources connecting people throughout the UK.

Here’s a bit more info about our lovely team of volunteer contributors:

President: Isabella Pitman

Isabella graduated in Music from the University of Oxford and is currently an Artist Administrator at Askonas Holt. She saw her first opera in 2014, aged 17, and founded NSOS in 2018. In her spare time, she loves to take ballet classes and play the piano (badly)!

Vice-President: Katherine Rees

Katherine graduated from the University of Exeter in BA Drama(Hons) and as a producer, director and singer is currently setting up her own classical music social enterprise. She has been has been a part of NSOS since it's founding in 2018 and adores being able to challenge the stereotypes of opera. She has previously worked as an Royal Opera House Ambassador, in the same year she won 'Best Event' for her production of 'The Marriage of Figaro' with the University of Exeter Opera Society which she also founded. Her most notable singing competition win was when she was three years old and won a teddy bear much bigger than herself. In her spare time she does Muay Thai and writes comedy sketches.

Publicity Manager: Sofia Kirwan-Baez

Sofia, a half-English, half-Venezuelan soprano, graduated from the University of Oxford before doing a Masters in Vocal Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2018. Her curiosity about Opera began when she heard the way in which singers filled concert halls with no amplification! She got involved with NSOS from its onset in 2018 as its Publicity Manager. She is vaguely obsessed with languages, having moved around a lot with her family as a child, and LOVES spreadsheets and turning conversations into philosophical debates.

Events Manager: Joe Allen 

Joe is currently in his 3rd year studying Jazz saxophone at Leeds College of Music. Joe first fell in love with opera when he went to a Royal Opera House school’s matinee production of La Boheme when he was 14. Since that first encounter he has had work experience with ENO and has been a production intern for Opera Holland Park as well as setting up the student union opera society at Leeds College of Music. In his spare time he likes to write and he also works as a drag queen.

Social Media Manager: Aphra Hiscock

Aphra is finishing her final year at Warwick studying English Literature. She is NSOS’s new Social Media Editor, and in her spare time enjoys dragging her unwilling friends and family around National Trust houses. At university she really enjoyed working on marketing student shows, and is excited to explore how marketing works at a more professional and sophisticated level with NSOS.

Content Creator: Lizzy Hardman

Lizzy is currently studying MMus Performance at Leeds University with the Head of School Excellence scholarship, after graduating from King’s College London. She is originally from Manchester and works freelance as a soprano and audiobook narrator. In her spare time, she likes playing board games (because she’s a big dork) and painting. Lizzy is new to the NSOS committee this year but is excited to be the new content creator focusing on videos, graphics, and interviews with industry professionals.

Events Manager: Lucy Farrimond

Lucy Farrimond is a classical Mezzo-Soprano based in Greater Manchester, UK: currently

studying BMus (Hons) in Vocal Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, under the tutelage of Jane Irwin.  New to NSOS, Lucy is looking forward to working with the committee as Events Manager, sharing her passion for the world of opera with students across the UK.

Development Manager: Sophie Kidwell

Sophie is a British Mezzo-soprano, and studies singing at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, Germany. She graduated from Durham University in 2016 with a BA in Combined Honours in Arts (Music, English and German), and was President of Durham Opera Ensemble. Her various operatic roles in the UK and Germany span from 17th Century Monteverdi to current composer Jonathan Dove and lots in between. Alongside writing the development plan for NSOS, Sophie loves languages, reading and is currently enjoying interviewing opera singers for a new podcast series called Diva Download (watch this space!).

Social Media Manager: Niamh Murphy

Niamh is a graduate of the University of Warwick, where she studied English and Theatre Studies as a secondary pursuit to her involvement in numerous university drama societies. In her final year, she was Vice-President of Opera Warwick, and was also President of the University of Warwick Chamber Choir. Niamh only began singing classically in her first year at university; the first opera she ever saw was Opera Warwick’s Die Fledermaus, a rather wacky adaptation set in Thatcher’s England. As well as classical music, Niamh loves straight acting, musical theatre, and drawing/painting, and was up until recently based in Paris where she worked as an au-pair and an English Language Workshop Leader.

Project Manager: Stefano Boccacci

Currently studying his MMus in Orchestral Conducting, Boccacci has assisted Mark Wigglesworth with BBC NOW and Maxime Tortelier with the North Devon Sinfonia. In 2019, he conducted the Welsh National Opera Orchestra, and was the assistant conductor of the Havant Symphony Orchestra for the 2018/19 season. Has a special interest for multidisciplinary projects, producing and conducting shows in collaboration with Ballet Cymru and the Contemporary Dance Program of the University of South Wales; and has been developing educational and family concerts in the U.K. ­­Is particularly obsessed with Iceland and loves art curation.

Writer: Josephine Walbank

Josephine is a recent English Lit graduate from the University of Exeter. She is based in Derbyshire, and works as a freelance writer for arts, food, drink and lifestyle publications. She is a new member of the NSOS team and writes regular copy for our blog.

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Writer: Clementine Scott

Clementine is a first year undergrad reading Classics at Worcester College, Oxford, who is based in London and Essex. She writes regularly on cultural topics for the Cherwell and also plays classical piano in her spare time. She is excited to share her interest in opera with a wider audience by writing for the NSOS blog.

Website Manager: Beki Blank

Beki is due to graduate from London College of Music with a BA in Voice in Performance later this year. Having been the Social Media Secretary and President of her university opera society, she was keen to be involved with NSOS somehow upon leaving LCM! With an eye for blogging and design, Beki regularly writes on her blog and website, and is excited to be part of the NSOS team as the website manager.