Divas and Scholars: Danielle de Niese, The Lansdowne Club

For several years now, Divas & Scholars have run lectures, recitals, master classes and parties featuring some of the world’s foremost opera performers and experts. Now, they have established a ten-part Certificate of Opera Studies. At each event, a great from the genre will host a seminar and performance, before joining attendees for supper. This is a chance to learn from and interact with some of the seminal figures of contemporary opera, in the opulent Art Deco surroundings of Mayfair’s Lansdowne Club. This year’s guests include soprano Rosalind Plowright OBE, The Telegraph’s Rupert Christiansen and conductor Edward Gardner OBE, among many others.
On the 30^th of September, the chair will be held by the luminously talented Danielle de Niese (Handel Arias), Queen of Glyndebourne and star of the Last Night of the Proms 2015. De Niese will speak on the challenges facing those aiming to sing Handel, the baroque master of operatic song.
After the seminar, there will be performances from the National Opera Studio. With alumni including Alfie Boe, Gerald Finley, Lesley Garrett and Susan Gritton, it is Britain’s most prestigious training course, funded by all six major national opera companies. Every year, it takes a mere 12 students, all of whom have the potential to become the stars of the future. The day will end with dinner, which proffers an opportunity to talk with de Niese at close quarters.
Tickets for this event alone are £185, including the seminar, performance and dinner. The full course of ten events is £1,500, with a five event half course priced at £899. Both course packages include the opportunity to research and present a seminar of one’s own. 
To book, email lucy@divasandscholars.com