The Ringmaster of Ringaling's Circus stands centre-stage, arms outstretched, as the young cast gather around.

Overture

Your Story.
Their Stage.

Each year we invite a composer and librettist to create a brand-new opera for our youth company.

From your first idea to opening night, we'll work alongside you to shape a piece our cast will make entirely their own.

Begin Your Pitch Recent Commissions

At a Glance

Each year we commission a new one-hour opera for around fifty to eighty young performers aged nine to eighteen.

Act I

The Invitation

Never underestimate young performers.
Inspire them, and they will inspire you.

Why write for LYO →

The full company on stage together in costume.

Working Together

You won't write in isolation.

We meet with writing teams throughout the process, helping to bounce ideas, solve practical problems and shape the strongest possible piece for the cast.

The result is always a collaboration.

Act II

The Commission

Discover The Process

From the Rehearsal Room.

The Sing-through

The first time you hear the whole piece.

The sing-through takes place each June in the performance year. Our Musical Director performs the entire opera at the piano with four professional singers for the trustees and creative team. After months spent behind a computer, it is the first chance to hear the whole piece come to life. It marks the beginning of the production phase and is often an emotional milestone for everyone involved!

The first meeting

Meeting your cast.

One of the loveliest moments is meeting the young performer cast in the role you wrote, and watching them make that character entirely their own.

The afterlife

Long after the curtain falls.

For us, a commission has been successful when the cast are still singing the melodies, quoting their favourite lines and talking about the production months later.

Explore the Commission Journey →

Recent Commissions