Summer Opera 2027 (Banff Centre)

Application Deadline: November 4, 2026
Program Dates: July 5 to 31, 2027
For more information and to apply.

Working with an international faculty of leading artists, participants engage in rehearsals, coachings, masterclasses, role study, and collaborative creation. The program emphasizes musical and dramatic excellence, artistic experimentation, and the development of flexible, responsive opera artists. 

Through hands-on experience with new and contemporary repertoire, participants expand their creative practice, collaborate across disciplines, contributing to performances, informal sharings, and other public events.

Description

Centred on contemporary opera, new work, and innovative approaches to the art form, Summer Opera provides hands-on experience with new and contemporary repertoire supporting participants in expanding their creative practice through mentorship, collaboration across disciplines, and performance opportunities. 

The 2027 program will feature new operas by Niloufar Nourbakhsh and Cecilia Livingston, alongside selected scenes from the classical opera repertoire.

Program content includes:

• Individual and group vocal coaching.
• Role study, musical preparation, and language work.
• Acting, movement, and dramatic interpretation. 
• Conducting and stage-directing mentorship.
• Rehearsals with singers,  pianists, conductors, and creative teams.
• Masterclasses, seminars, and interdisciplinary exchange.
• Public performances, informal sharings, and community events.

Participants have access to rehearsal studios, coaching rooms, pianos, production resources, and Banff Centre’s professional performance venues, providing an immersive environment to develop their artistic practice and collaborate with peers from across the opera field.

Requirements

Summer Opera is intended for emerging and early-career singers, conductors, and stage directors seeking intensive professional development in contemporary opera and collaborative performance practice. No specific degree or formal credential is required.

Applicants should demonstrate:

• Strong foundational training or equivalent professional experience in their discipline.
• Readiness to work at an intensive, professional level.
• Musical and dramatic curiosity.
• An interest in contemporary repertoire and innovative approaches to opera.
• Openness to experimentation, feedback, and collaborative creation.
• The ability to prepare independently and contribute generously to an ensemble environment.

Additional discipline-specific expectations:

• Singers should demonstrate secure vocal technique, strong musicianship, and the ability to engage with dramatic interpretation.
• Conductors should have experience leading singers and instrumentalists, working with scores, and supporting collaborative rehearsal processes.
• Stage Directors should demonstrate theatrical imagination, storytelling ability, and experience collaborating with performers and creative teams.

Participants must be available to attend all elements of the program for its entire duration, variable participation dates will not be considered.