TOSW was established in 1987 when the School offered its first Residential Post-graduate Training Course at Brecon, Powys. Such was the success of this venture that the Residential Course became an annual event, gaining a bigger and better reputation, year on year, and helping countless young singers to make the important transition from 'post-graduate student' to 'professional artist'.

The School now mainly promotes its very successful Masterclasses, with professionals from the major Opera Houses, all of whom are at the tops of their careers.

The School's founders (Brendan Wheatley and Bridgett Gill), and its tutors and musicians are all dedicated opera professionals, committed to maximising the potential of students, and helping them to prepare for a professional operatic career.

The School also provides rare and invaluable performance experience through work experience opportunities with TOSW's associate company Swansea City Opera. Music staff employed by The Opera School Wales have included Michael Lloyd, Jim Holmes, Victor Morris and Fraser Goulding and repetiteurs from the national opera houses of Great Britain. Performances are fully staged and costumed and accompanied by a small chamber orchestra.

Many 'graduates' of The Opera School Wales, who include the 1995 Cardiff Singer of the World Katerina Karneus, have gone on to sing with major national companies

Past young artists have worked on some unusual as well as some more traditional repertoire, including Britten's Albert Herring and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Tchaikovsky's Iolanta, Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Mozart's The Magic Flute, Cosi fan Tutte and The Marriage of Figaro, Bizet's Carmen, and Puccini's Il Tabarro and Gianni Schicchi

Our next Masterclass is scheduled for April 2008 - please see the links above for further details.