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 is 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!
>> Tell me more about the Gala Dinner
When
Friday 18–Sunday 20 July 2025
Friday: 2.30pm–6pm | Saturday/Sunday: 9.30am–5.00pm
Where
Royal Ballet & Opera, Covent Garden
Bow Street
London
WC2E 9DD
Click here to view on Google Maps
Pricing
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
Online pass
Weekend pass (Saturday/Sunday): £99
Gala Dinner on Saturday
Three-course meal at Sarastro: £73.50
*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 from Pamela Hay (AOTOS Chair) and Dominic Oldfield (RBO)
3.15pm: Guests from the Royal Ballet and Opera – Create and Sing: free pedagogy and music appreciation for state primary schools
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 – Vocal changes: working with transgender & Gender Diverse Voice
2.00pm: Jono McNeil – Staying relevant in the ever changing world of pop music
3.00pm: Break
3.30pm: Mini presentation 1 (Abstract on an EEDI theme): Online Singing Lessons in Post-Pandemic Times: Overcoming Intonation Challenges and Enhancing Musical Understanding
3.45pm: Mini presentation 2 (Abstract from an Early Career Researcher): The Voice Within the Room: An Investigation of Female Adolescents’ Experiences Within Their Singing Lessons
4.00pm: Heidi Moss Erickson – Singing in the Brain: Rewiring the Future of Vocal Pedagogy
5.00pm: End
6.30pm: Gala Dinner at Sarastro (find out more here)
SUNDAY 20 JULY
9.30am: Registration and refreshments
10.00am: Welcome
10.15am: Genevieve Tawiah – Vocal Physiotherapy: how tuning in with yourself can facilitate improvement and optimisation of your voice
11.00am: Abigail Mann Daraz – Sensitive Voice Work: Inclusive Tools for Neurodivergent and Sensory-Sensitive Singing Practice
11.45am: Aliki Katriou – Singing: Texture and Noise
12.30pm: Lunch
1.30pm: AGM
2.00pm: Samyukta Ranganathan – Exploring Ornamentations in Carnatic Singing
3.00pm: Break
3.30pm: Hadley Fraser – Climb Every Mountain: On meeting current demands for the voice in the professional domain
4.15pm: Williams Spaulding (Chorus Master of the Chorus of RBO)
5.00pm: End
Join us for our 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner
On Saturday 19 July, we will be holding a gala dinner at Covent Garden institution Sarastro, a long-standing restaurant famous for hosting live opera singers.
Included in the price is a sit-down three-course meal of Mediterranean favourites such as mezze, chargrilled chicken skewers and sea bass, a few glasses of wine, and the chance to mix and mingle with some of our speakers – and each other – in this characterful central London venue.
All the details and booking here