Thursday, 23rd February will be the fifth time that David Butt Philip has hosted his Masterclass at St Paul’s Opera, but the first time in his official capacity as our Patron. We are, as ever, extremely grateful for his continued support, especially given his increasingly hectic international schedule.

In the last year, David has made his debut at the New York Met singing Laertes in Brett Dean’s Hamlet; at the Salzburg Festival in Katya Kabanova; and last autumn at Wiener Staatsoper, first with the role of Laca in Jenůfa, followed by Stolzing in Keith Warner’s new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. This February, he will return to the Royal Opera House in the role of Prince for a new contemporary staging of Rusalka, then back at Wiener Staatsoper in April to sing Don Jose in Carmen. In June he will make his debut at San Francisco Opera in the role of Der Kaiser in Richard Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten.

Candidates for the Masterclass are selected by ballot from the many singers who have and will be working with us in recent and future productions. Find out more about this year’s candidates below.