Streetwise Opera has launched “Opera Pioneers”
Streetwise Opera is a UK-based performing arts charity founded in 2002. Its mission is to inspire and empower people who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness. They do this through co-creative opera workshops in homelessness centres and major arts venues, public performances where participants perform alongside professional artists, and by fostering creative expression, self-confidence, belonging, and lasting personal change.
Operating in London, Manchester, and Nottingham, Streetwise Opera has enabled hundreds of people to rebuild their identities and social networks through creative participation.
Announcing “Opera Pioneers” – A New Paid Pathway
Streetwise Opera has launched Opera Pioneers, a new paid development programme designed for people with lived experience of homelessness. This initiative supports participants to explore careers in opera and the wider arts, receive structured guidance through mentoring from industry professionals, take part in both online and in-person workshops, and build new skills, confidence, and connections across the arts sector.
Open to anyone across the UK with relevant lived experience, this programme offers a rare opportunity for creative leadership and professional growth.
Martin Constantine, Artistic Director, said:
|| “We’re thrilled to launch Opera Pioneers, a bold new step in empowering people with lived experience of homelessness to become the creative leaders our sector needs. This programme brings fresh energy, untold perspectives and a powerful sense of purpose to the heart of opera. It’s about supporting a new generation of changemakers and helping make opera relevant to the world we live in.” ||
Although Streetwise Opera is not currently based in the West Midlands, Opera Pioneers is explicitly open to people with lived experience of homelessness across the UK, including here in the West Midlands. That means no prior experience in opera or performing arts is needed, just a passion to explore and create. Participants get paid for their time, making it more accessible than unpaid arts opportunities. This is a stepping stone into a burgeoning arts-career pathway starting from right here in the West Midlands.
We believe this is a fantastic opportunity for local residents who have experienced housing insecurity and who want to explore their creativity, build new professional skills, or pursue continual learning and expression through the arts.
How to Get Involved
Visit the Streetwise Opera Opera Pioneers page to check eligibility and application details. Look out for info sessions, interviews, and application tips via Streetwise’s website and social channels. Share with local partners, friends, support services, and homelessness charities, especially those you know in the West Midlands.
The programme runs from October 2025 to March 2026 and includes online sessions as well as in-person activity. Participants in the programme will be paid at the London living wage of £13.85 per hour for all activity and for attending mentoring sessions. They estimate that the total fee for taking part will be just over £500. Applications are open until Tuesday 1 September.
Applications are live now, so do not miss this chance to be part of something creative, paid, and life-changing.
