The goal of the Education Department of the Royal Opera House is to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to make the lyric arts a meaningful part of their lives.  An extensive programme of activities aims: to offer inspiration and training that enables people of all ages and abilities to develop their creative potential; and to both entertain and inform audiences in order to develop their enjoyment, understanding and appreciation of opera.

Work ranges from creative projects and workshops to lectures, masterclasses and study days. Some of it takes place in the wider community, in schools and community centres as well as other events within the Royal Opera House including the Linbury Theatre and Clore Studio.

There is a major focus within the education program on work with teachers. The highly successful Write an Opera training programme, for example, helps teachers to initiate a unique model of creative opera-making in their schools; students write, compose and design short operas and then form their own opera companies to mount them in production. Teachers from countries across the world have attended Write an Opera courses, helping to keep the department at the forefront of education work in opera.