THE BLACKHEATH HALLS

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