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Royal Welsh College Announces Naming of New Opera School

4 July 2017

The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama is delighted to announce the naming of its new opera school to recognise and celebrate a major gift from David Seligman OBE.

The donation follows many years of support from David, and his late wife Philippa, for the College’s specialist opera training and for talented young singers. The David Seligman Opera School, delivered in association with Welsh National Opera (WNO), will enable emerging artists to train alongside some of the leading figures in opera today.

The opera school will provide a unique training environment across all disciplines of opera performance and production – from singers and instrumentalists to conductors, directors, repetiteurs, stage managers and designers.

Royal Welsh College Principal, Dame Hilary Boulding said: “This is an incredibly exciting moment for Opera in Cardiff.  The opportunity to offer specialist integrated training across all the opera disciplines through a partnership between two national cultural institutions has been a longstanding dream.

David’s support and encouragement to bring this to fruition is founded on many years in which he has supported and championed Welsh cultural organisations.

He is a shining example of philanthropy in action.  It gives us great pleasure to recognise the extraordinary role he has played through the naming of the David Seligman Opera School.”

David and Philippa Seligman’s generous philanthropic support for the cultural life of Wales and the wider community over the last 40 years was recognised when they became the first Welsh recipients of The Prince of Wales Medal for Arts Philanthropy in 2010.

“Over many years, my late wife, Philippa, and I have experienced much enjoyment from helping young people to discover the arts, especially the performing arts, and we have been involved with many arts organisations,” said David.

“The new Opera School at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama is an exciting collaborative development between the College and Welsh National Opera.

I am delighted to play a part in helping to support the College in this stage of advancing its world-class opera training in all the various disciplines required in the performance of opera.”

 

David and Phillippa’s generous financial support and guidance has helped innumerable Welsh arts organisations to continue to flourish, supporting Welsh National Opera and its Youth Opera, Wales Millennium Centre, the Royal Welsh College and Chapter Arts Centre among many others.

All photos from RWCMD’s summer opera, ‘Street Scene’. Credit: Robert Workman

Editors notes

The David Seligman Opera School draws together a number of existing strands of activity, led by the College’s inspirational staff, members of Welsh National Opera and influential collaborators from the wider opera world.

The Conservatoire’s training in opera performance already offers access to training by leading international artists, side-by-side opportunities for instrumentalists with WNO Orchestra, and WNO orchestral residencies within the College. WNO is grateful to Barry and Christine Bateman and The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust for their generous support of the WNO side-by-side scheme, which will form part of the training offered within The David Seligman Opera School.

The partnership’s integrated approach to opera training ensures that it will also benefit emerging designers, stage managers and arts managers. Opportunities for professional experience will extend to Cardiff Theatrical Services, which is not only WNO’s in-house scenic and production workshop but also supplies scenery to leading performing companies around the world.

In addition the David Seligman Opera School will offer opportunities for emerging opera performers to gain insight into the professional production process, including training in repetiteurship for pianists. There will be opportunities for student composers and conductors and the ability for the Opera School to tour small scale productions. The David Seligman Opera School will also incorporate a new Masters programme for trainee opera directors.  RWCMD are very grateful to Welsh National Opera for all their support for the School.

David and Philippa Seligman’s generous support is recognised in the naming of the Seligman Room at Wales Millennium Centre, Theatr Seligman Theatre and Stiwdio Seligman at Chapter, and the Seligman Studio at the Royal Welsh College. David was also a pivotal figure in helping establish Cardiff’s St David’s Hall in 1976.

David was awarded an OBE in 2000 for services to the community and in 2003 received the first Western Mail and Echo Lifetime Achievement Award for services to the legal profession and the wider community.

Philippa Seligman received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of South Wales, while David has received Fellowships from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and Cardiff University.