RBO Youth Opera Programmes

The Royal Ballet and Opera's Youth Opera programmes provide children aged 8 to 13 with rigorous music and drama training, creative projects and the chance to perform in world leading opera productions with The Royal Opera. 

RBO Youth Opera is divided into two strands:

RBO Young Voices (Ages 8-9)

RBO Young Voices is a singing programme for 8-9 year olds, developing participants' vocal control, musical literacy and performing skills. As well as performing at concerts and other events at the Royal Opera House, participants gain a grounding in the skills required to progress into our older ensemble, the RBO Youth Opera Company.  

RBO Youth Opera Company (Ages 9-13)

RBO Youth Opera Company is our in-house chorus of 9 to 13 year olds. We offer participants all-round training in the performing arts, covering vocal technique, language coaching, acting and stage craft, musical literacy and creative processes for developing new work. The RBO YOC also has the opportunity to audition for the children’s chorus in one Royal Opera Company production per season.

Applications will open in Spring 2026 for entries into the Youth Opera Programmes starting in September 2026. If you would like to be added to a mailing list to be informed about future auditions, please complete the mailing list form below.

The Sapling

The Sapling was a brand new opera commissioned by the Royal Opera House for the RBO Youth Opera Company, written by Jonathan Ainscough and composed by Jonathan Briggin in collaboration with the YOC.

Performed in the Linbury Theatre in July 2023, The Sapling tells its story through the words and voices of the Youth Opera Company, supported by professional singers and musicians. 

Imagine a world where all living things – humans, animals, trees alike – dwell together in perfect harmony, until a mighty storm changes everything; imagine a world in the shape of a monstrous Tower, where those at the top control the lives and voices of those beneath; imagine a world at the very end of the universe, where the artefacts of the past offer a glimpse of the future… The Sapling spans centuries and generations, crossing time and space to explore the consequences of greed, the oppression of silence and the fragile nature of hope.

The Youth Opera Company is supported by Yvonne and Bjarne Rieber