we’re auditioning

OperaUpClose are seeking 4 exceptional instrumental players to take part in 3 days of Research and Development for a new version of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. 

We are looking for four instrumentalists for: 

Violin

Double Bass

Clarinet

Accordion 

Audition dates

Auditions will be held in Manchester on the 1st July and then in London on the 8th July. 

Venues will be confirmed with those who are shortlisted. 


About OperaUpClose

OperaUpClose is a national touring opera company with storytelling, partnership, and innovation at our heart. Intimate in scale and mighty in impact. Since 2009 we have grown from our first, Olivier-Award winning, production in a 35-seat theatre above a pub; to the opera company with the widest geographical reach pre-pandemic; to the only full-time resident opera company in the southwest working with multi-artform collaborators from our home at the dynamic cultural hub MAST, Southampton.  

OperaUpClose extend the appeal, relevance and reach of the artform with cross-disciplinary and co-creative commissions performed alongside bold, re-interpretations of established material. We engage the most exciting, emerging creative talent to distil the essence of classic operas into new, contemporary chamber works with their own artistic integrity and excellence, bringing the new and the established together in visceral, up close theatrical productions. 

R&D Dates

Monday 4th – Wednesday 6th November 2024, at MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton.


Project Summary 

GIANNI SCHICCHI  

Developed through artist-led workshops in Autumn 2024. A radically reworked version of Puccini’s comic opera, putting all performers at the heart of the storytelling with a score for a mixed cast of actor instrumentalists and opera singers. Rising stars writer Hannah Kumari ('Deceptively subversive' – The Stage) and composer Vahan Salorian ('…truly genre breaking' – Bachtrack) are bringing this classic roaring into the 21st century. Set in an unnamed UK seaside town, this Schicchi will take a darkly comic approach to the challenges of a second home economy, exploring entitlement, class assumptions and attitudes to our ageing population.

How to apply to audition

To apply please fill in this form here by 10am Monday 5th June 2024. You will be asked to submit:

  • A CV (PDF format), or link to website or portfolio.

  • An audio or video recording of you performing. Links to websites/YouTube/Google drive etc. 

  • The location of audition you’d prefer.

  • A completed Equality and Diversity monitoring form: here

  • To be considered you need to be able to demonstrate that you have undergone professional training and/or are working at a professional level.

If you are invited to audition, you will be asked to prepare a 3–4 minute unaccompanied piece that both shows your technical skills and your abilities as a musical storyteller. 

We will also send a short extract of a simple song for you to prepare; this will be supported on the piano. 

We are specifically looking for one player with a strong bass-baritone singing voice, this is not instrument specific and is not essential to be considered for audition.

R&D Fee: £175 per day plus standard return train fare and accommodation where required. 

Invitations to audition will be sent the following week.

If you require this information in another format, please email auditions@operaupclose.com.

OperaUpClose is an equal opportunities and living wage employer. Our aim is to create a diverse and inclusive working environment which reflects the communities and audiences we engage with. The recruitment process is open to all, and we are especially interested in hearing from candidates from the global majority, disabled, neurodivergent and working-class people.