The International Opera Academy: a community designed for career sustainability.
The International Opera Academy: a community designed for career sustainability.
The International Opera Academy (IOA) is a postgraduate program for classically trained singers and repetiteurs. The IOA wants to be a bridge between musical education and the professional opera world, but even more than that, a bridge between tradition and experimentation, between disciplines and generations, between the city and the world.
About the Young Artist program
Auditions
The program spans two academic years of full time, intensive coaching, preparing Young Artists for a professional career in the demanding world of opera & music theatre through technical, musical, theoretical and stage training. Specific attention is paid to contemporary opera and musical theatre repertoire. Auditions for the 2027-2029 cycle will be held in the fall of 2026. More information will be available soon on this page.
Performances
As an IOA Young Artist you’ll perform in two fully staged opera productions with orchestra every year, as well as participating in two Opera Labs, where you get to experiment and reimagine what opera can be in today’s world. In addition to these four productions, you’ll attend several masterclasses throughout the year, given by leading experts in their field. During your journey, you’ll receive coachings in music, language, acting, movement, specifically tailored to your needs.
Mission
Our mission is to build a sustainable environment for young opera professionals that both challenges them artistically and provides a safe space where the creative soul is protected. Therefore, the IOA’s mission can be summed up as: “we guide young opera professionals in the bespoke development of their careers.”
The IOA's independent structure enables it to quickly and accurately respond to the changing reality of opera, in collaboration with opera houses, cultural organizations and educational institutions. The world today is global, diverse, and demanding. Young artists face challenges their predecessors could scarcely imagine: increasingly fierce competition, ever more precarious opportunities, and the need to navigate both tradition and innovation at once.
What we offer is a program that doesn’t stop at graduation, but that actively prepares young artists for the future. We believe the best way to do this is to create a community.
This vision is built on 3 beliefs
Talent alone cannot succeed unless it is directed.
Our community cannot exist in a bubble, but requires continuous dialogue with the profession.
Every artist’s talent is unique, and therefore requires bespoke, flexible, and diverse guidance.
Craft, Discovery & Path form the backbone of the IOA — three pillars that reinforce each other.
Together, these foundations ensure that our young artists will not only become empowered musicians, but also professionals ready for the next step. An artist’s craft is stage experience, as the magic of our profession is the exchange of energy from audience to stage.
Opera singers don’t just sing notes.
They embody a story, inhabit a character, make words and emotions come alive. Through guidance and coaching, the IOA creates the space where its artists can discover.
What we offer is a program that doesn’t stop at graduation, but that actively prepares young artists forthe future. We believe the best way to do this is to create a community.