23 Lee Road, London SE3 9RQ 020 8318 9758 r.ballantyne@blackheathhalls.com Blackheath Halls Opera: Assistant Director Recruitment Pack Blackheath Halls Opera: Venus & Adonis 2021 © Lidia Crisafulli 23 Lee Road, London SE3 9RQ 020 8318 9758 r.ballantyne@blackheathhalls.com Blackheath Halls Opera: Assistant Director Blackheath Halls is looking for enthusiastic Assistant Director to join our friendly and committed team, assisting Director Harry Fehr on our 2026 opera, Bizet’s Carmen. If you would like to apply, please complete the application form (available here) and equality and diversity monitoring form (available here). The deadline for applications is Monday 26 January 2026 at midday. Interviews will be held on Wednesday 4 February 2026 at Blackheath Halls. We positively encourage applications from interested and qualified applicants regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation. Whilst we are very aware this is not the case at the moment, our ambition is for our staff team to reflect the diversity of our local boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham. If you require this document in a different format, or have any access requirements in order to be able to apply or interview for this role, please contact our team using the details below. Please also use the same contact details if you have any questions or would like to have an informal conversation about the role before submitting an application. Thank you for your interest in this position, and we very much hope you will consider joining our opera team. Rose Ballantyne Community & Engagement Manager r.ballantyne@blackheathhalls.com 020 8305 3890 Kate Howden Community & Engagement Producer k.howden@ blackheathhalls.com 020 8305 3894 Great Hall: Blackheath Halls Opera Candide 2022 © Lidia Crisafulli The Hearn Recital Room: Wihan Quartet 2022 © Ernie Savarese A registered charity, we are able to offer this range of activity through income from tickets, hires and our in-house bar, along with support from various Trusts and Foundations, and over 300 generous members of our Friends and Patrons scheme. Blackheath Halls Blackheath Halls is an outstanding centre for music and the performing arts in south east London, presenting a year-round programme of events including music, comedy, talks and literary events, and children’s theatre. Our renowned community engagement programme includes the annual Blackheath Halls Opera, Musical Theatre courses, an orchestra, gospel and classical choirs, and Blackheath Halls Youth Choir, with gifted young people from our local boroughs. Blackheath Halls is a wholly owned subsidiary of Trinity Laban, and provides the Music Faculty with its regular base for large-scale rehearsals and performances. We also offer a popular venue for recordings and rehearsals by major London orchestras and ensembles, as well as for a range of commercial hires and social events in our two performance spaces, the Great Hall and The Hearn Recital Room. Over the past year Blackheath Halls’ programme consisted of 1,036 different performances, rehearsals and other activities, attended by 48,765 people. A further 33,651 people engaged with online activities and resources. Christopher Stark and Blackheath Halls Orchestra: Candide 2022 © Lidia Crisafulli The Smartest Giant In Town 2022 © Ernie Savarese Blackheath Halls Youth Choir Christmas 2021 © Lidia Crisafulli Blackheath Halls is the main concert and rehearsal venue for Trinity Laban students. Big Smoke Brass UK © James Keates jk-photography Trinity Laban Symphony Orchestra © Trinity Laban Role Description Post Reports to Blackheath Halls Opera: Assistant Director Opera Director (Harry Fehr) and Community Engagement Manager (Rose Ballantyne) Responsible for n/a Contract Attendance is required at rehearsals from Tue 11 Aug 2026 onwards, through to dress rehearsals and all performances in the period from Sat 19 - Sun 27 Sep 2026 (inclusive). Attendance is also required at the opera launch day on Sat 11 Jul 2026. Fee £2,900 (inclusive, on a self-employed basis) Overall Purpose of the Role Blackheath Halls is looking for an enthusiastic Assistant Director to work on our 2026 opera Bizet’s Carmen, alongside Director Harry Fehr. You will work alongside Harry to help facilitate rehearsals with professional principal singers as well as with our large inter-generational community chorus, with duties including note-taking during rehearsals, passing on information about staging to singers and leading small breakout groups of performers to refine scenes. You will be an efficient and proactive part of our small production team, working not only with Harry but also with a professional Stage Management and Music team. You should be comfortable working with people from a wide range of ages, backgrounds and abilities. Applicants must be eligible to work legally in the UK. If you do not have the necessary permissions to do so, unfortunately we are unable to consider your application. Blackheath Halls Opera The annual Blackheath Halls Opera is a successful project that has been running since 2007. Blackheath Halls Opera is proud of its programme of ambitious and creative opera projects offering people of all ages from across the London Boroughs of Greenwich, Lewisham and beyond a unique opportunity to take part in high-quality, live music making alongside a professional cast of soloists and production teams. Our 2025 opera was Gluck’s Iphigenia in Tauris, with cast including Francesca Chiejina, Danny Shelvey, Michael Lafferty and Dan D’Souza alongside Trinity Laban students in smaller roles, our community chorus of 50 adults, 30 children from mainstream schools and children from local SEN schools. For more information please visit Blackheath Halls Opera Criteria Skills Strong knowledge of opera Essential Desirable Assistant directing and/or directing experience working with professional opera singers and/or community/amateur opera groups Experience in working with community groups of all ages and backgrounds Excellent problem-solving and organisational skills Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate musical ideas and notes effectively with people of varied ages, abilities and backgrounds Personal Qualities Enjoys working under pressure in a fast moving and changing environment Ability to work effectively with a professional production, stage management and music team Enjoys working with mixed ability groups of people of all ages and backgrounds Blackheath Presents with SongEasel Winterreise: Francesca Chiejina & Jocelyn Freeman © Nick Rutter Blackheath Halls Opera 2021: Venus and Adonis © Lidia Crisafulli 2018: Dido and Aeneas © Robert Workman 2017: Der Freischutz © Robert Workman Equality and Diversity Blackheath Halls is working hard to meet the aims and commitments set out in its Equality and Diversity Policy, including trying to ensure that everyone who applies to work with us receives fair treatment. In order to help us achieve this aim, we kindly request that you complete a monitoring form. We understand that some applicants will be hesitant to provide the details requested. Please be aware that any information you provide will not form part of the recruitment process. The information will be treated as strictly confidential and only used to monitor the fairness of our recruitment and selection procedures. Although you do not have to complete the form, by completing as much of the information as you feel able to, you will be helping us to ensure that all applicants receive fair treatment when applying for jobs with us. Equality and Diversity monitoring form available here Taiko Meantime: Resonance Tour 2018 © Adam Kang Photography PART OF TRINITY LABAN CONSERVATOIRE OF MUSIC & DANCE 23 Lee Road, London SE3 9RQ 020 8318 9758 r.ballantyne@blackheathhalls.com
THE BLACKHEATH HALLS
1 role available
TRINITY LABAN, KING CHARLES COURT, OLD ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE, KING WILLIAM WALK, LONDON
SE10 9JF