Methodology: Feedback sessions and workshops, Make-up and styling, Resilience, Mental preparation, Body awareness, Dummy auditions with recordings (Opera + Contemporary ensemble)
Period of the EOA module in 2026 – 2027:
14-19 December 2026
Open for:
Maximum students (only MASTER 2 students)
- 4 Singers
- 2 Pianists
Deadline for applications:
- 1st deadline: 15 June 2026
- 2nd deadline: N/A
Description of the module:
A. Group feedback sessions with teachers and professionals
Staff members of the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp and professionals in the field will listen to your auditions, record them and give individual feedback. The material will be made available for you to add to your portfolio.
- Dummy internal audition + feedback of the jury (Anne Cambier, Sabrina Avantario, Lieven Baert, Darren Ross, Gary Jankowski, etc.)
- Spatial awareness, movement coaching (Darren Ross)
- Make-up hair, outfit, … instruction workshop (Lieven Baert)
- Lecture about the psychology of music performance (Bert De Kuyper)
- Audition at OBV (Opera Ballet Flanders) + feedback and video recording
- Preparation for contemporary vocal music selections. A list of pieces will be provided (Els Mondelaers)
- Coordination and Feedback session (Sabrina Avantario)
- Preparing the paperwork for an audition with Susanne Schmidt, casting manager at OBV (CV and repertoire list)
Name of the professors of this module: Sabrina Avantario, Anne Cambier, Michèle Losier, Gary Jankowski, Susanne Schmidt, Darren Ross, Lieven Baert, Bert De Kuyper, Els Mondelaers
B. Workshop resilient artist, performance psychology
Nowadays, you will find very few top athletes who are not surrounded by a team of experts such as coaches, (para)medics, nutritionists and sports psychologists. In the music world, however, this remains largely an oddity, even though professional musicians have very strong similarities with professional athletes. They too are in a stress-sensitive profession that requires hard work and discipline in addition to talent. Being mentally strong – in thinking, feeling and doing – is as important for professional musicians as it is for top athletes. In his book and workshop ‘Making music is top-sport’, Bert De Cuyper provides essential frames of reference from (sports) psychology that can help musicians at all levels to increase their self-knowledge and strengthen their self-management. These handles cover the whole alphabet, from A to Z, from fear to self-confidence. Stage fright, mental resilience, perfectionism, overtraining, developing and monitoring stress-recovery balance, … it’s all covered.
Name of the professor of this module: Bert de Cuyper (TBC): Prof. Em. KU Leuven – Performance Psychology at LUCA School of Arts
C. Walk like an artist, stand like an artist.
Choreographer and director Darren Ross will work on how to enter, stand on and exit a stage. Feeling the space, using it in a way that is appropriate for the presented repertoire.
Darren will provide feedback to participants on their posture and movements on stage.
Names of the professors of this module:
- Darren Ross studied at the Laban Centre for Mouvement and Dance in London. In 1988, he moved to France where he joined the ‘Compagnie de Brigitte Farges’ and from 1992 he danced in the ‘Compagnie Larsen’. It was with this dance company that he came into contact with opera. In 1998, he signed his first opera choreography for La traviata. This was also the starting shot for a long-standing collaboration with director Jean-Claude Berutti. Together they signed for La Bague magique (Giovanna Marini), Faust, Rusalka, La bohème, Wiener Blut, Otello and Tannhaüser. They also regularly worked together for spoken theatre. For Marguerite Borie, he designed the choreography of Salome for the opera houses of Monte Carlo, Liège and Vienna. In Belgium, he is a regular guest at De Munt Brussels, among others, where he signed for the choreography of Weisse Rose/Zimmermann and of The Golden Vanity/Benjamin Britten, both directed by Caroline Petrick. Together with Benjamin Van Torhout, he worked on Raisonnez and Het geslacht Borgia, performed in Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven and Bruges. For Compagnie Arsenic and Axel De Boosere, he choreographed Le dragon and Le Géant de Kaillass. In 2006, he directed Mozart unfinished/Mozart inachevé for Pantalone & de Munt/La Monnaie Brussels and Dschungel Vienna. He also choreographed Joachim Brackx’s Requiem for the Gods. This creation was a co-production of Nabla muziektheater & Concertgebouw Brugge. In Budapest, New York and Berlin, Le nozze di Figaro was performed under the musical direction of Iván Fischer and with choreography by Darren Ross.
D. How you present yourself in front of a panel
Choreographer, director, expert in historical dance will bring certain number of dresses and accessoires from his vast collection to experiment with presentation and characterisation of each participant, in a way that suits the situation and the repertoire. Instructions regarding make-up, hair, outfit and movement will be provided to the students.
Names of the professors of this module:
- Lieven Baert is a professional choreographer, dance teacher, performer and theatre director. During his 30-year career he has danced, choreographed and directed period dance productions in Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Japan, Mexico, Russia and the United States. He has been a visiting professor at Stockholm University, Stanford University in the United States and has taught historical dance at the University of Madrid Re Juan Carlos since 2003. Since 1997 he has been the choreographer of the Landshuter Hochzeit 1475, Germany’s largest historical festival. Since 2003 he has also been the permanent director of the Brussels Operetta Theater. He also works on awareness and youth programs for the Royal Ballet School of Belgium and the Royal Opera of Flanders.
D. The singer between text and performance in the contemporary language
In this workshop, Belgian mezzo soprano Els Mondelaers will lead students in exploring how classical singers can perform in the here and now. Starting from existing repertoire, we examine how we, just like actors, can remain alive and present on stage.
A score contains a wealth of musical codes, cues, and possibilities for interpretation. At the same time, the focus on reading and performing it correctly can cause us to unconsciously concentrate primarily on one fixed interpretation, sometimes causing spontaneity and direct experience to fade into the background.
How do we stay in the action, instead of repeating an interpretation in the same way every time? How do we create space for freedom and spontaneity without losing the musical structure? And how do we ensure that every performance feels lively, direct, and authentic anew?
Through practical exercises and individual work, we explore ways to be more in the moment, to work with open attention, and to trust in impulse and connection, so that every interpretation can unfold anew as something alive and unique.
Names of the professors of this module:
- Els Mondelaers: Belgian mezzo-soprano Els Mondelaers obtained her Master’s degree in Classical Singing and the specialization as a Soloist in Contemporary Music with distinction at the Ghent Conservatory.
Gradually, she expanded her career from a specialized interpreter of contemporary classical music to that of an all-round performer, not shying away from challenges such as musical and/or physical improvisation, music creation, acting, and movement. The world of music theatre, contemporary dance, and performance became her new habitat alongside the contemporary concert stages. Here, she is appreciated for her personal involvement in projects and the enthusiasm with which she successfully tackles artistic challenges.
Number of teaching/production hours of the EOA module
2-5 hours of individual tuition & 45 hours of group work
Number of ECTS within master accreditation
3 ECTS
ATTENTION!
- If students want to do this within an Erasmus+ Short Blended Mobility, they must contact their local International Coordinator and Charlotte.saelemakers@ap.be as soon as possible.
- It is open to students who fund their own mobility.
Entrance examination
Motivation letter and video
Description of the final examination
Evaluation based on daily participation in workshops and dummy auditions
Teaching language
English – level 3
- This module is also available within Erasmus short blended mobility exchange during the academic year 2026/27, depending on the grants offered by the home institution.
- Students must provide their own accommodation, meals and traveling costCh
