Access All Areas AOTOS's 50th Anniversary Summer Conference
18–20 July 2025
AOTOS is proud to announce our Summer Conference 2025, ‘Access All Areas’. In honour of the 50th anniversary of our venerable organisation, we will be celebrating at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London.
As we look back to celebrate what has come before, we hope to use this conference to celebrate the best of where we are and what lies ahead for our industry.
As such, we will be modelling one of our core values of collaboration by not having a masterclass, and instead our delegates will be offered a weekend of highly practical talks, with lots of singing together throughout.
Speakers will include the leading practitioners in the major genres of CCM, Musical Theatre, Classical, and – for the first time – Gospel, Indian Classical, and Distortion. We will also have big names in vocal science and research, from the ENT, SLT and VRC perspectives, and more.
A conference pass will include a free backstage tour of the Royal Opera House and a free commemorative gift. It will also include a drinks reception on the Friday, lunch on Saturday and Sunday, and tea and coffee throughout, with plenty of opportunities to network and chat.
A gala dinner on the Saturday night will be available to book separately.
Don’t miss this opportunity to sing, learn and socialise in the beautiful environs of the historic Royal Opera House, and find out what has made us the UK’s leading organisation for singing teachers!
With best wishes,
Pamela Hay
AOTOS Chair
Click here to see our fabulous line-up of speakers for this special conference
I’m ready to book my place
When
Friday 18–Sunday 20 July 2025
Friday: 2.30pm–6pm | Saturday/Sunday: 10am–5.30pm
Final timings tbc
Where
Royal Ballet & Opera, Covent Garden
Bow Street
London
WC2E 9DD
Click here to view on Google Maps
Pricing
Early bird rate for AOTOS/EVTA members: £225 until Monday 18 May 2025
Full conference
Member rate: £275
Non-member: £325
Student*: £200
Saturday day pass
Member rate: £120 | Non-member: £170
Sunday day pass
Member rate: £105 | Non-member: £155
*AOTOS student member or anyone in full-time education.
There is also one bursary place available for this conference. Click here for information on how to apply for a bursary.
How do I book?
Click here to book online. AOTOS members must be logged in to access the member rate.
Cancellation policy
As a charity, and due to our contract with the venue, we regret that we are unable to offer refunds. In the unlikely event that the conference is cancelled by the organiser or venue, due to circumstances beyond our control, full refunds will be given.members must be logged in to access the member rate.
Timetable
FRIDAY 18 JULY
2.30pm: Registration
3.00pm: Welcome
3.15pm: Guests from the Royal Ballet and Opera
3.45pm: Mr Nicholas Gibbins – Singer’s Pathology: what problems do singers have in the voice clinic compared to the normal population?
4.30pm: Mark De-Lisser (Gospel vocal coach)
5.30pm: Wine reception
6.00pm: End
Backstage tours will be available in groups of 20 people throughout Sunday morning between 10.30am–12.45pm, and a tour takes 45 minutes. Please consider which talks you would like to attend in the morning when you are not on the tour. We will have a sign-up sheet for you to choose a tour time.
SATURDAY 19 JULY
9.30am: Registration and refreshments
10.15am: Welcome
10.20am: Dr Jenevora Williams – The Power of Positive Language: utilising placebo, recognising nocebo and exploring the expectation effect
11.15am: Rachelle Jonck – Classical Techniques and Modern Expression: exploring vocal mastery and interpretative traditions from the acoustic to the microphone era
12.15pm: Lunch
1.15pm: Christella Antoni (SLT specialist in trans voices)
2.00pm: Jono McNeil – Why are pop singers firing their vocal coaches?
3.00pm: Break
3.30pm: Abstracts
4.00pm: Special guest
5.00pm: End
SUNDAY 20 JULY
9.30am: Registration and refreshments
10.00am: Welcome
10.15am: Genevieve Tawiah (Performance physiotherapist)
11.00am: Abigail Mann Daraz (Voice coach with neurodiversity and PMLD specialty)
11.45am: Aliki Katriou – Singing: Texture and Noise
12.30pm: Lunch
1.30pm: AGM
2.00pm: Samyukta Ranganathan (Indian Classical Singing vocal coach and researcher)
3.00pm: Break
3.30pm: Special guest
4.15pm: Williams Spaulding (Chorus Master of the Chorus of RBO)
5.00pm: End
Call out for abstract submissions
- Abstracts should be no more than 500 words and be referenced using the system of your choice.
- The deadline is Monday 19 May 2025, and successful applicants will be notified by Monday 2 June.
- Submissions do not need to come from an academic institution and you do not need to have a particular qualification to submit.
- Abstracts must be anonymous – please do not mention your name – and submit these with a cover sheet that must include your name, membership number if you have one, and abstract title. Abstracts submitted without this will not be considered. Your submission will be blind judged by a panel.