Katey Rylands on Cracking the Opera Industry
25-year-old mezzo-soprano Katie Rylands is currently freelancing in London and preparing for a season full of vibrant, comedic and career-defining roles. From singing Rossini to performing in her home region with If Opera, she talks about her process, the realities of the UK opera scene and the advice she would give to aspiring singers hoping to break into the business.
By Alilyia Narikbayeva
Q: What are you currently working on, and what are you most excited about?
Katey: Right now I’m preparing for a production of La Cenerentola by Rossini. I’m playing one of the ugly stepsisters, which means I get to dive into comedy. I absolutely love comic roles. I’m also looking forward to singing my first German opera with Opera Holland Park, which is a big milestone for me. And I’ll be returning to the West Country to perform with If Opera, which is based near where I went to school. I always looked up to that company, so performing there now feels like a really special full-circle moment.
Q: How do you usually prepare for a role, both emotionally and vocally?
Katey: I always start by getting to know the full story of the opera, not just my character. It helps to understand how each role connects and interacts. Then I create a mind map of my character with different moods, keywords and emotional shifts throughout the opera. I also translate every single word I sing, especially when it is in another language. Right now I’m working on Italian. I do a literal translation first, then rewrite it in natural modern English so it makes emotional sense to me. Only once I’ve understood the text do I move on to learning the music. Singers rely a lot on muscle memory, so learning something incorrectly early on can be very hard to fix. Once the words are secure, I start working on the melody and musical detail before rehearsals begin.
Q: What challenges have you faced so far in your career?
Katey: Rejection has been a big one. The opera industry is very competitive, and there are fewer jobs now because of funding cuts. You really have to build resilience. When I was a student, I would take rejection personally, especially when you did not even hear back after auditions. But now I understand that it is rarely personal. It is about finding the right fit for the role, and sometimes you are just not what they are looking for. You have to keep pushing forward and trust that something will come your way.
Q: You mentioned funding cuts. How has that affected the UK opera scene?
Katey: It has made things really difficult. English National Opera, for example, has had to make job cuts and is moving from London to Manchester, which affects a lot of singers who are based in or near London. Welsh National Opera has also reduced its orchestra and chorus, turning full-time jobs into freelance ones. That level of instability makes it harder for people to sustain a living. These cuts are happening because companies are receiving less support from the government, which is incredibly sad.
Q: Are there any misconceptions about opera that you would like to clear up?
Katey: Yes, one of the biggest is that opera is old-fashioned or only for rich people. That is just not the case anymore. So many productions are now updated and set in modern times. For example, I performed in a production of Eugene Onegin that was set in the 1980s. We had shoulder pads and big hair, and it brought a whole new energy to the story. Directors are finding more creative and relevant ways to present opera. It is becoming more accessible and exciting for new audiences.
Q: What advice would you give to someone trying to break into opera right now?
Katey: Invest in high-quality recordings. Most audition processes now start with video submissions, and even if applications say professional recordings are not required, I know from experience that presentation really does make a difference. Also, try everything. Explore different genres like Baroque, Classical or Romantic. You might find you love something unexpected. Finally, make as many connections as you can. Join different projects, meet different people and take every opportunity. You never know who might be in the audience or what might come from a single performance.
Q: What has been your favourite role so far, and why?
Katey: I would say Dido in Dido and Aeneas. It was the first role I ever looked at when I was 13, and performing it professionally in London ten years later felt really meaningful. It is not as lively or comical as some of my other roles, but it was a personal moment for me. That said, I also loved playing Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro. It is such a fun role, and playing a boy on stage was a brilliant experience.