The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House's yearlong Overture programme, in which young musicians are partnered with a member of the orchestra and receive mentoring, side-by-side rehearsal sessions, audition preparation and more, aims to provide opportunities for those who "currently encounter barriers in their musical training".
Established in 2023 in collaboration with Black Lives in Music and the National Open Youth Orchestra, Overture targets young musicians (aged 18–25) from under-represented groups. Previous participants have gone on to postgraduate study at music college as well as trials or freelance work with professional orchestras.
Applications are open to those who identify as being from an underrepresented group, including (but not limited to), global majority, disabled, LGBTQ+ or from a low-socioeconomic background, and play one of the instruments listed as part of the scheme.
The scheme is now open for applications, details on the RBO web site—with a deadline for expression of interest of Monday 23 June 2025.