This 24‑hour immersive gathering brought together a diverse cross‑section of the opera world: singers, directors, casting professionals, producers, vocal health specialists, psychologists, researchers, intimacy coordinators, inclusion consultants, and disability arts practitioners. The intention was to convene people across disciplines so that the sector could speak honestly about the conditions under which women work, create, and sustain careers in opera today.  

Over two days, participants explored the pressures that shape artistic and professional lives: biopsychosocial factors affecting vocal and mental health; the impact of hormonal changes, trauma, and chronic stress; financial and structural precarity; motherhood, caring responsibilities, and menopause; casting inequities; and a persistent culture that normalises misogyny and undermines agency. These conversations took place within a sector still shaped by inherited traditions, entrenched power dynamics, and a canon that frequently centres narratives of violence, abuse, and the subjugation of women.  

The Think Tank was designed to break echo chambers. Through structured exercises, reflective enquiry, and cross‑professional discussion, the gathering surfaced systemic issues while also identifying potential leverage points for meaningful change. Participants brought lived experience as well as disciplinary expertise: from vocal physiology to safeguarding, psychology to pedagogy and this expanded the conversation beyond institutional debate. What emerged was a shared sense that opera is at a critical juncture, with both urgent challenges and genuine opportunities for transformation.

The session was facilitated by Katherine Zeserson and the participants were:

Alison Buchanan Director, Pegasus Opera Company
Ann Rawdon Smith Casting, Glyndebourne  
Debbie Winter Managing Director, Voice Study Centre; Associate College, University of Essex (Department of Language & Linguistics)  
Fay Jennett Executive Director Northern Opera Group; Creative Producer of opera and new music‑theatre; Inclusion Consultant  
Gen (Genevieve) Tawiah Performance & Vocal Physiotherapist  
Hannah Sandison Performance Psychologist / Consultant / Singer; Sound Performance Psychology; SWAP’ra team member
Ita O’Brien Intimacy & Movement Director; Founder, Intimacy On Set Ltd  
Joanne Roughton‑Arnold Co‑Founder, CEO & Creative Director, formidAbility; Freelance opera singer  
Jude Christian Freelance director/maker; Artistic Director, Northern Opera Group  
Kate Valentine Founder, Valentine Voice Care; Vocal Health Specialist
Rosie Middleton Mezzo‑soprano & Researcher (RNCM-funded research)  

Facilitator:
Katherine Zeserson Musician, educator, strategic consultant, facilitator & coach 

Co-Curator:
Kate Valentine Founder, Valentine Voice Care; Vocal Health Specialist

Britten Pears Arts team:
Angie Lee‑Foster Programme Manager, Britten Pears Arts 
Etty O’Reilly Administration/Logistics, Britten Pears Arts 
Sarah Symonds Arts Administration, Britten Pears Arts 

Read the full Executive Summary.

Click on the images below to watch short videos with the delegates.