Alma Sheehan trained at the Royal College of Music and the RCM Opera School. After studying at the National Opera Studio, she sang roles with English National Opera and the Royal Opera and at major London concert halls. She has run workshops at the Royal Academy of Music, RCM, Royal Northern College of Music, the National Opera Studio and Royal Opera House.

Alma has assisted on productions for Streetwise Opera and the London Handel Festival. She is Head of Drama for the vocal department at the Royal Welsh College of Music.

Alma works with singers, instrumentalists, teachers and conductors developing their overall confidence and stage presence. She has been working with Alice Farnham on the RPS Women Conductors’ course since 2014, teaching techniques which can reduce performance anxiety and increase creativity and focus.

Alma writes:

‘A conductor needs to exude physical confidence and energy in order to collaborate fully with an orchestra and engage in mutual creativity. It is said an audience forms an impression about performers within seven seconds, so developing an authentic stage presence gives an artist authority as they prepare to deliver their performance.

Many people mistakenly confuse confidence with arrogance. The RPS conducting courses gives conductors the tools to build a confident conducting style and the self-belief to share their skills and work towards a professional career.’