ENO Engage Opera Squad in Leeds ǀ English National Opera
Community Engagement Facilitating
Making Classical Music Inclusive to All
Ben uses his skills and voice in the wider community, sharing and creating with people from all walks of life, specialising in performance, devising, and inclusive facilitation. He has worked extensively across the UK, Europe, and New Zealand.
A former Open Academy Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music, Ben specialised in creative work with young people and communities living with dementia. He has worked with leading organisations including English National Opera, Glyndebourne, Royal Opera House, and Wigmore Hall.
Ben was a Trainee Workshop Leader with Spitalfields Music and Welsh National Opera (2022), working on projects across the UK with young people. He continues his work as a Vocal Artist with the Royal Opera House’s Create and Sing programme – a creative learning resource co-created with teachers, bringing opera into primary schools across England.
In 2025, Ben was awarded Developing Your Creative Practice funding from Arts Council England to expand his practice by designing and delivering opera workshops for people with additional learning needs (ALN/SEND). This work has included:
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Creating SEND resources for The Royal Opera and Royal Ballet’s Creative Day – a large-scale celebration involving thousands of students across the UK, honouring the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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Training workshop leaders from the Dutch National Opera and Ballet in accessible facilitation practices for workshops with learners with additional needs.
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Developing inclusive opera workshops as part of his expanding international practice.
Ben also works as a facilitator and coach with tertiary students, including TANZOS Young Artists at Waikato University and students at Canterbury University. His workshops explore portfolio careers, resilience, and vocal pedagogy, equipping young artists with skills for sustainable creative careers.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, Ben has worked with NZ Opera as a Tour Manager and Assistant Director for their schools’ tours – bringing high-quality opera experiences to schools across the country.
Ben is also a Young Artist (2022–24) with Opera Prelude, leading a series of intergenerational workshops (in partnership with Age Unlimited) that combine music, singing, and mindfulness.
He is the Co-Founder of InToto Music Collective, which creates innovative music workshops and performances across the UK and Europe, including at the Verbier Festival.
"Ben trained our freelance workshopleaders in opera education with the focus on working with special needs! He give us insight into the world of these children with a clear and well-thought out guidance-model, we learned how we can see each child and help their world of music. We are looking forward to the next occasion we can get him on board!"
Ineke Gelegijns - Education Manager
Dutch Nationale Opera & Ballet
"I am inspired by Ben's artistry, tenacity, good humour and his ability to work in an inclusive and supportive way. Ben has excellent communication skills and shows great empathy and skill particularly when communicating with people with SEND, young children, and vulnerable adults."
Bradley Travis - Head of L&P at English Touring Opera
Projects
Royal Ballet and Opera BIG SING
50,000 students - 500 schools - 3 live venues - 1 live broadcast - RBO #CreateDay24
Royal Ballet and Opera Healthy Singing Series
Working with teachers in the UK to feel confident with their own voices; equipping them with the tools to engage with singing and their voices in school, and enrich the children through healthy dramatic singing.
ENO @ Benenden
Royal Ballet and Opera SEND/ PMLD
Musicians, singers and directors from ENO visited Benenden across three weeks to hold a series of Opera Takeover workshops for local schools, culminating in a spectacular closing concert.
Canterbury University Workshops
Resources designed to give teachers the confidence to explore the multi-sensory world of opera with your learners. Empowering classroom teachers (without a Music specialism OR SEND specialism) to feel confident in exploring music in the classroom
Engage learners across the spectrum of needs and abilities in the multisensory world of opera.
TANZOS
Workshops
Dutch Nationale Opera
Training workshop leaders at Dutch Nationale Opera, Amsterdam. Ben
facilitated the development of new 2 workshops for SEND audiences over the course of two days with the workshop leaders.
Verbier Festival - InToto Music
Along with Emma Jüngling and Elli Welsh visited Verbier Festival to run a series of workshops with young people over the course of a week.
Royal Ballet and Opera - Family Sunday
Our World - Big Sing. Ben along with the fantastic Sam Penã lifted singing voices through the atmosphere and into outer space in this fun filled Big Sing activity for the whole family!
ENO Opera Squad
Alongside ENO Engage team, singers and a creative team, Ben delivered a devised programme of work across schools in Manchester.
Vauxhall Festival
InToto Music Collective introduced Opera to young people of Vauxhall and performed a devised piece of opera compiled by Emma Jüngling and Elli Welsh.
Royal Ballet and Opera - Digital Culmination
Ben has been part of multiple digital culminations at RBO. Schools from all over the UK join in for a like rehearsal with RBO artists, where the students get an opportunity to perform live and share their dramatic responses to Magic Flute resources.
Royal Ballet and Opera 2025 Create Day
NZ Opera
in Schools Tour 2025 - Red!
NZ Opera
in Schools Tour 2025
Ben leads ensemble workshops for performance students, with a focus on technical excellence, artistic expression, and industry readiness at Canterbury University, Christchurch.
Ben developed and delivered 3 workshops in partnership with the prestigious young artist programme at TANZOS, Waikato University. The workshops explored; Portfolio Careers, Resilience and Vocal Pedagogy.
Ben created SEND resources for the Royal Ballet and Opera's Create Day 2025. A day which involved 1000s of students across the UK for a day of creativity celebrating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Ben joined NZ Opera as a Tour Manager and Assistant Director for their schools’ tours – bringing high-quality opera experiences to schools across the country.
Ben played the role of Wolfie in Lucy Mulgans inspiring version of Little Red Riding Hood; touring primary schools in Auckland, Kerikeri, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown.