Singers

2023 will be our most exciting year to date! The beautiful Unesco sponsored city of Caltagirone will host us again, and the Island of Sicily will be a beautiful backdrop to intense vocal training at the highest level.

Studies will be for six weeks, from June 25 (Arrival) through August 7th (Departure). Our entire focus will be on developing greater familiarity with what it takes to be a professional opera singer. This means voice training, coaching, and significant time with orchestra, conductors, and directors.

Our schedule in 2023 will be divided into sections.

SCHEDULE

Preparing Before Arrival and Weeks 1 and 2

Before we arrive in Sicily, we will already begin to study and plan our staging virtually. This will allow voice teachers, conductors, and coaches to become familiar with your work, and give you direction in preparing vocally, emotionally, and in acting – for the operas. This will allow us to hit the ground running in Sicily, and gives us more time to perform.

Our staging period and musical preparation will be during these first two weeks. Activities such as staging, dramatic coaching (stagecraft), ensemble coaching, orchestra rehearsals, various dress rehearsals, etc., will occur during these first two weeks.

Individual coaching, voice lessons, and performances – weeks 3 and 4

Weeks 3 and 4 are the bulk of the hard work because besides performing, you will also start a period of two weeks where you will have both a daily voice lesson and a high level individual coaching, and a morning masterclass with the various instructors. EVERY LESSON AND COACHING IS OPEN, meaning that anyone can sit in to watch your coaching or lesson. We find this enhances learning for all tremendously. If you choose to go to someone else’s lesson you must stay the whole time quietly and no electronics permitted.

There will likely be touch ups on staging and an evening performance on most days. We will continue to have dramatic coaching. We will also begin orchestra time (see below). Some performances will be open to the general public, and others will be by invitation only (family and friends will always be admitted to any performance).

ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE REQUIRED TO BE AT EVERY SHOW. You will be a chorus member if you are not a soloist on a given night (all are required to know the chorus to the operas for the nights when you are not the soloist – see cuts to music). There may be operas where there is no chorus, and you must be present to support your colleagues at every show. Our utmost attention and focus must be devoted to every show as it were your own, thus showing respect and support for your colleagues.

Orchestra Time

During weeks 3, 4, 5 and 6 there will be time set aside on working days for Orchestra Time. This is a unique opportunity to Mediterranean Opera Studio and Festival. Think of this as a coaching with orchestra. You will have one-on-one time with conductors and orchestra to go over repertoire. The coaching is open to all. The objective is to familiarize yourself with how your sound projects and sounds with orchestra, understanding the gesture of conductors, understanding how to work with the conductor from peripheral vision, and staying on the beat when you are further away from the pit. This is a unique part of MOSF that we feel enhances your preparation and is usually something you would learn on stage in a career. This is also a very instructive part of the orchestra’s MOSF experience.

Guests – Weeks 5 & 6

During weeks 5 and 6 we have renown guests come for individual coachings with participants (all classes open), and masterclasses. Performances and Orchestra Time continue. We also add Italian Lessons every morning.

Recreation

Sicily is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Its landscape, beaches, people, and food, are the envy of the World. We will focus on recreational activities so as to balance the significant workload with recharging. When we work we work hard, and when we recharge we leave opera behind and decompress. During weeks 3-6 we will have a company outing to places like Siracua-Ortigia, Taormina, Ragusa-Ibla, Agrigento, etc.

Typical Day

Weeks 1 and 2 – Monday through Saturday: Major focus on staging operas, from 9am-1pm, and from 3:00-6:00pm. Opening Concert Sunday evening – June 2nd.

Week 3 & 4- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday: Masterclass 9-10am; Individual Orchestra Time 10:30-12 (no Saturday); individual lessons and coaching from 10-2, and 4-5:30pm; Shows at 6:30pm by invitation only (weekend shows 8:30pm open to general public). Wednesday is company tourism day. Sunday free (but with evening shows).

Week 5-6 – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: Italian Class 9-10am; individual coaching or lesson with guest 10-1:30, and 3-4:30; Orchestra Time 11-12:30; Masterclass 12:30-1:30. Performances alternating between 5:30pm (by invitation) and 8:30pm (open to general public) (some performances will be in other venues aside from our campus auditorium). Weekends are free except for evening shows 8:30pm.

Wednesdays and Saturdays during this period are dedicated to trips and recreation. Sunday is off.

Singers may also participate in an abbreviated program. An abbreviated program must last for at least one week. Abbreviated programs do not include performing roles.

Repertoire Targeted

Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti
La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
La Cenerentola by Gioacchino Rossini

Staff

Our instructors include singers, coaches and conductors from Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera of New York, Vienna Staatsoper, Frankfurt Oper, Glyndebourne Festival, etc.

Costs

Application/Audition fee $35

The cost for MOSF 2023 is $5900.

Hotel options (see housing) available at extra cost.

An abbreviated program will cost $1200 per week.

Your participation fees are non-refundable under any circumstance. We strongly invite participants to purchase insurance before paying your Participation Fee (many insurance companies require acquisition of insurance policy before your purchase of airline tickets and payment of participation fee to the program).