Performance skills

At the Dutch National Opera Academy, performance skills are developed in direct relationship to several staged productions. Acting, movement, and physical awareness are not only treated as separate disciplines, but are integrated with vocal and musical work and applied throughout rehearsals and performances..

Through the Acting Skills module, students develop a credible stage presence by connecting character psychology with direct communication and responsiveness in performance. This work supports the demands of staged productions, where adaptability, focus, and dramatic clarity are essential.

The Embodiment and Performative Body classes approach the body as a fundamental part of the singing instrument. Drawing on somatic and movement-based practices—including Body-Mind Centering, contemporary dance, Alexander Technique, yoga, improvisation, and physical theatre—students build physical awareness, freedom, and resilience that feed directly into rehearsal processes and repeated performances.

This integrated approach ensures that performance skills are continually tested and refined on stage, preparing students for the realities of professional operatic production.

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DNOA in the words of an alumna

Compared to other, non-DNOA students, I can see how well this programme prepared me to do what is now asked of me. In the trajectory of the DNOA there was time, space and there were the resources to find depth and profoundness in my development as a singer and artistic person. I am convinced to say: the job requires a holistic approach. It’s not only about having a good voice. DNOA taught me how to learn new repertoire (quickly), how a production process works and what is expected at what stage, how to relate to a conductor or director, how to approach an audition, how the business works, how I can use my body on stage and how to approach different musical styles and languages. All this knowledge and experience made me feel confident and ready to deliver in a bigger production at an actual opera house.

Elisa Maayeshi soprano – graduate (2025)
and member of the Opera Studio, Komische Oper Berlin.

Useful resources

Our curriculum

Read more details about the curriculum, programme objectives and assessment criteria.

Financial support

Find out more information about financial support through scholarships and funds.

Our facilities

Find out about the facilities that our partner Universities offer in Amsterdam and the Hague.