Pettman DARE Fellowship

• It is a twelve month, fully-funded programme starting in September 2023, split between Leeds in the UK and Auckland, New Zealand.
• The first nine months are spent in the Education department at Opera North and at the University of Leeds UK, before spending the final three months at New Zealand Opera.
• As a Pettman DARE Fellow you are registered as a taught postgraduate student at the University of Leeds, at the School of Performance and Cultural Industriesin the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures.
• The majority of practical research takes place with Opera North, where you learn about Music Education in the context of a large UK-based arts organisation, and assist in a broad spectrum of initiatives developed and delivered by the Education team including the Adult Programme; Family Programme; Schools Programme; In Harmony; Young Performers Programme
• At the University of Leeds you will study Masters’ level modules on topics relevant to Music Education and the arts in the UK.
• At NZO, the opportunity to implement learnings will be further realised. Insight and experiences acquired in the UK will inform the planning and delivery of activities of engagement that will supplement and support the work of the Participation team at NZO, determined through ongoing discussions during the nine-month UK placement.Through this combination of practical experience and academic study, the programme is assessed and accredited as a Postgraduate Diploma in Performing Arts Management.

• A fully-funded professional development opportunity, the only Diploma of its kind in the UK.
• The chance to learn from leading music professionals and academics when immersed in the artistic and operational culture of leading UK and New Zealand opera companies and in the research and educational culture of a leading UK university.
• Practical experience of supporting Education music specialists to plan and deliver Opera North’s award-winning programmes.
• Knowledge of the roles, skills and processes needed to ensure engagement projects of the highest quality.
• An understanding of the role of music organisations in New Zealand and the UK.
• Enhanced personal and professional skills to support career development.
• A network of contacts for the future.
• Relevant professional training.

The partnership between New Zealand Opera, Opera North and the University of Leeds has been growing since 2010. We each create and tour award-winning opera and music, and we share a commitment to diversity – internally with our workforce and artists, and externally with our audiences and the communities around us.

In advance of starting in the UK, Fellows spend time with the team at New Zealand Opera, discussing the Company’s ambitions and challenges and identifying a key question to be researched in the UK e.g. How can opera companies use their resources to aid young people affected by social exclusion and/or economic hardship? How can collaboration with other organisations and community groups benefit opera companies? What can opera companies do to assist refugees and immigrants when settling into a new country? How can voices new to this artform be encouraged and developed? What does collaboration in opera look like, and sound like, in contemporary society?

This question informs the research and practical learning for the 60-credit, practice-based project in the UK (see below). Communication with NZO continues throughout, and the learning from the project will inform the development of activity at NZO during the final three months of the Fellowship.