Denira Coleman

London Business School

“A South African Greek opera singer turned entrepreneur, who helps artists make an impact.”

Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa

Fun Fact About Yourself: During my opera career, while playing a young boy in a production of Handel’s Rodelinda, I had to walk across the stage singing while carrying two massive candelabras of fourteen lit candles each. Surprisingly, after closing night I still couldn’t lift my 20kg suitcase. I continue to sing constantly and can be considered either a nuisance or a blessing to live with as I can’t do simple chores without singing around the house.

Undergraduate School and Major:

Undergraduate: University of Cape Town – Bachelor of Music (Honours) Specialising in Opera Performance

Graduate: Royal College of Music – Master of Performance (Vocal)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: DSC For Artists – Founder and Marketing Strategist

What makes London such a great place to earn an MBA degree? My decision to move to London was driven by the endless opportunities the city offers, as it hosts multiple business endeavours, industries, and activities. In addition, London is a highly diverse cultural hub that, much like the LBS campus, holds space for everyone. This allows LBS to welcome a wide range of senior business professionals, thought leaders, recruiters, and investors, who remain easily accessible for future in-person interaction. Even more, it means that the city itself offers rich pathways for growth beyond business school.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of London Business School’s MBA curriculum and programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? One of the key parts of the LBS MBA curriculum that stood out to me is its use of experiential learning. Throughout the program, there are numerous opportunities to take a practical approach to the concepts you learn in class and see how they apply in the real world. Initiatives which utilise this are the Entrepreneurship Summer School, the IMPACTathon, the Global Experience course, the HackLBS hackathon, and more. This is important to me because gaining real, hands-on experience, and practical, tested knowledge is essential when coming from a non-traditional business background like mine. Classical music taught me that progress comes from consistent practice, and I see the same principle reflected in LBS’s commitment to learning.

London Business School is one of the most culturally and professionally diverse MBA programs in the world. What will make you unique in this class and how will it enrich the experience of your classmates? Coming from a wonderfully weird professional background, the obvious answer to what I bring to the cohort is lending further diversity of thought and creativity. However, a decade-long opera career teaches you more than you would expect: diligence to the point of near perfection in your craft, time and project management, leadership and teamwork skills, and a consultative, empathetic communication style that few other professions provide. Since starting my business, I have also developed excellent digital marketing skills and know how to advocate for myself and others. What makes me unique? It is that I used the skills I learned in one of the least business-like careers to completely redefine my professional brand from being a performance artist to becoming an entrepreneur. I am looking forward to sharing my perspective with my classmates and am equally eager to learn from their experiences in return, contributing to the dynamic, diverse environment which makes LBS so special.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at London Business School? This is such a tough question to answer as LBS offers such a wide array of exciting resources – from the Entrepreneurship Summer School to the Global Experience; the Tattoo celebration to the Pitch Nights with the Entrepreneurship Club; and from the Negotiations Elective to the Luxury Strategy Elective. The list goes on. However, if I absolutely had to choose, I am most looking forward to taking part in the LondonCAP project. This mini-consulting project is a great example of the experiential learning opportunities that LBS offers. It will be the perfect platform for me to gain real-world experience in business and apply what I learn in the classroom in a practical scenario.  Additionally, it provides a valuable opportunity for me to get an inside look at the everyday operations of a large company.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My most significant professional accomplishment to date has been successfully pivoting from my career as an opera singer to building my business, DSC For Artists, into a sustainable enterprise that creates meaningful impact for so many young artists. A standout milestone was signing my first client, who soon after became represented by one of the most prestigious agents in the country. The agent shared that it was the strength and professionalism of her digital presence, developed by my company, that directly influenced their decision to take her on. This affirmed that the work I’m doing holds an important space in the arts. Even the notable success I achieved as an opera singer doesn’t compare to the pride I feel in managing my business and helping young artists pursue their passion.

Tell us your favorite memory: As unlikely as it may seem, one of my favourite memories took place during COVID while we were in lockdown. I had been taking an online course on marketing and exploring how to brand myself as a performer, which led me to experiment with and post frequently on Instagram. Through this platform, I was approached by the United Nations to sing in a virtual memorial concert honouring associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who used to adore opera. I come from a family of human rights activists, so social justice is part of my DNA, making this moment especially poignant. In the same spirit, in 2019, I had the honour of performing in a live opera concert for the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, along with the late prominent politicians Tito Mboweni and Pravin Gordhan. As a South African, these two experiences of representing my art on both national and international stages in front of such influential leaders are ones I will always cherish.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into London Business School’s MBA program? When it comes to your application, you must write from a place that is both authentic and intentional. Therefore, it is essential to do the foundational work before you even start your application. The first step is to do some introspection and ask yourself the right questions: what are my future career goals and how will an MBA help me achieve them? The next step is to do detailed research into the programme: scour the website, attend open days and events, and speak to student ambassadors. Being clear on how your goals and LBS will complement each other will help you craft a detailed, carefully considered, and genuine application.

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