London Bel Canto Festival
The festival will take place 7 - 19 August 2017 in Europe's largest and grandest city in mid-August 2017. Teachers and coaches from London, Italy and the United States will come to London to give lessons and master classes for 15 fortunate students on the campus of Trinity Laban Conservatoire in beautiful Greenwich.
Faculty Includes:
Maestro David Parry, Master Classes
Bruce Ford, Professor of Voice
Nelly Miricioiu, Professor of Voice
K E Querns Langley, Professor of Voice
Roberto Bertuzzi, Italian Repertoire Coaching
Janus Araghipour, Repertoire Coaching and Interpretation
Each day the students will have singing lessons, vocal coaching, repertoire and language coaching, as well as having classes which will focus on a particular aspect of singing, performance practice and pedagogy. Students will also study classes on concepts of registration, respiration, resonance strategies, bel canto history and cantilena, as well as studies in the recitativo, cavatina and cabaletta. All students also will have the daily opportunity to observe and participate in master classes and recitals, and is guaranteed to sing in a public and private master class and a recital appropriate to their level and desire. A gala concert at the wonderful National Liberal Club will be held on 18 August 2017 in which everyone will expected participate.
Students will be given individual and group repertoire to learn before arriving in London so that they will be able to work with the coaches and get the most from their time here. There will be solo as well as large and small ensemble work. This will be an intense programme, but it is geared toward intermediate and beginning students with sufficient talent and drive, so that they receive the best foundation possible for their future study. For advanced singers, the festival portion of the programme will offer recital and performance opportunities on the two Saturdays of the program which will be dedicated to debut recitals, master classes and the opera performance.
I am very honoured to be one of the principle teachers involved, but we will also have the wonderful American bel canto tenor Bruce Ford as well. He and I will be teaching each of the students personally and will also be offering master classes. The bel canto conductor Maestro David Parry has confirmed that he will give a couple of private master classes to the students. Everyone will have the opportunity to audition to be selected to sing for him, but everyone will be expected to attend the master classes. Many other instructors will be giving classes on song interpretation, Kinesiology, yoga for singers, theatricality, and stage direction. The days will be long and will require a lot of dedication by the students.
Faculty Spotlight
Professor of Voice: Bruce Ford
A masterful performer of the music of the Bel Canto era, examples of the countless highlights of his career so far include the title role of Rossini's Otello in Washington, London and Pesaro, ALMAVIVA in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Metropolitan Opera, New York and Opéra National de Paris, DON RUIZ in Donizetti's Maria Padilla with the Minnesota Opera, Rossini's L'Assedio di Corinto with Baltimore Opera Company and Maometto II for the Vara Matinee in the Netherlands and La Scala in Milan. He was acclaimed for his superb ORESTE in Rossini's Ermione for Glyndebourne, directed by Graham Vick, in whose production he also sang the title role in Mozart's Mitridate at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Both operatic evenings have been judged among the most remarkable in recent history and are available on DVD.
Mitridate became one of Ford's most successful roles, and he went on to add two other sovereigns, TITO in La Clemenza di Tito and the title role in Idomeneo to an already impressive Mozartean repertoire, including BELMONTE in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, ALESSANDRO in Il re pastore and FERRANDO in Così fan tutte in numerous productions world-wide, including La Scala in Milan and the Paris Opera.
In addition Ford was a welcome guest at many renowned concert venues, such as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Carnegie Hall in New York and the London Albert Hall, to name but a few.
He has been an ambassador for opera for many years, bestowing on his many fans worldwide a unique and precious operatic legacy. His vast and award-winning discography includes the original version of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor for Sony Classics, as well as more than 30 issues on the Opera Rara label, including two solo albums 'Romantic Heroes' and 'Serious Rossini'. In addition, his numerous recordings of Opera in English for Chandos (The Barber of Seville among others) have encouraged a wider public to enjoy opera.
Bruce has judged competitions, performed masterclasses, and - now that he has retired from the operatic stage - is passing on some of his considerable knowledge and expertise to the next generation of singers.
