The Pier Miranda Ferraro 

Workshop Series 

presents

BREAD AND BUTTER - OPERATIC WORKSHOPS

VeraMusica announces a new series of operatic role preparation workshops for the young professional and emerging professional singer. They are led by internationally acclaimed tenor Francisco Casanova, and assisted by conductor and coach Brian Holman. 

Each workshop will comprehensively cover a given opera, in an ensemble setting, over an intense two-day period (three-days for longer operas). In addition to singing through the entire opera, intensive group coaching will consider the full spectrum of the work, to provide the singer with a deeper insight into the role, practical considerations for performance, and a basic strategy for future role preparation.

Among the topics we will cover:

• Historical background of the operatic setting and time of composition.

• In-depth analysis of the orchestral score, examining the musical shapes and colors provided by the composer and how it should be approached vocally in order to make it fit appropriately in that frame work. 

• How to apply singing technique to bring forth the melo-dramatic material. 

Workshop schedule

June

Così Fan Tutte: Tuesday 3rd, Wednesday 4th, Thursday 5th of June, from 7 to 11 PM.

July

Don Giovanni: Tuesday 8th, Wednesday 9th, Thursday 10th July from 7 to 11 PM.

Tosca: Tuesday 15th, Wednesday 16th, Thursday 17th July, from 7 to 11 PM. (One act per day).

August

Il Barbiere di Siviglia: Tuesday 5th, Wednesday 6th, Thursday 7th August., from 7 to 11 PM

Madama Butterfly: Tuesday 12th, Wednesday 13th, Thursday 14th August., from 7 to 11 PM

September

Un Ballo in Maschera: Tuesday 9th, Wednesday 10th, Thursday 11th September, from 7 to 11 PM.

L’elisir d’Amore: Tuesday 16th, Wednesday 17th September, from 7 to 11 PM.

October

Carmen: Tuesday 7th, Wednesday 8th October, from 7 to 11 PM.

I Pagliacci: Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15th October, from 7 to 11 PM.

November

Cavalleria Rusticana: Tuesday 4th, Wednesday 5th November, from 7 to 11 PM.

Aïda: Tuesday 11, Wednesday 12th, Thursday 13th November, from 7 to 11 PM.

Workshops will take place at from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. at Yeoryia Studios, Otello Room (Epic Security Building, 2067 Broadway at 72nd St, 5th floor)

Workshop fees

Leading roles: $240.00 (two day course) $275.00 (three day course)

Secondary roles: $140.00 (two day course) $160.00 (three day course)

Com-primario roles: $100.00 (two day course) $ 120.00 (three day course)

... plus $5.00 credit card charge.

To gain the maximum benefit from these workshops, roles must be memorized before hand, -words and notes-.

Singers interested in applying for the workshops may email: info@veramusicaltd.com. Please submit a short recording of yourself, preferably live. Links to Youtube, websites, etc. are acceptable. Indicate the role(s) you are interested in. Please do not submit resumes or pictures.  A maximum of two casts will be accepted.

Payment is accepted via PayPal after acceptance notification. In case of cancellation, partial refunds (80%) are available until 10 days before the workshop; thereafter no refunds will be given.   

Francisco Casanova brings with him over 35 years of performance experience on the world's greatest stages, from the Metropolitan Opera to La Scala and the Vienna State Opera. Prized by connoisseurs and critics alike for his poetic artistry and impeccable technique, Casanova is considered one of the last great tenors in the old Italian tradition. He has enjoyed a partnership with many important conductors and stage directors (James Levine, Riccardo Muti, Nello Santi, Jesús López-Cobos, Gary Bertini, Werner Herzog, Günter Krämer, Paolo Micciché, Ivan Stefanutti), and appeared alongside the finest singers of his generation (Renato Bruson, Leo Nucci, Edita Gruberova, Mariella Devia, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Aprile Millo, Dolora Zajick, Larissa Diadkova, Paul Plishka, Juan Pons, Justino Díaz, Samuel Ramey, Maria Guleghina). A native of the Dominican Republic, Casanova studied singing in Milan with Pier Miranda Ferraro and with Luigi Veccia in New York. Originally trained as a stage actor, he won top prizes in the Bilbao and Viñas singing competitions (including "La Traviata" Special Prize), and was the first non-Italian awarded the Beniamino Gigli D'Oro prize in 2004. His repertoire spans most of the standard Italian canon, from Mozart and Bel Canto to Verdi and Verismo, as well as the French Romantic classics (Don José, Samson, Éléazar). He currently teaches in New York, and his students perform professionally around the world. 

Brian Holman is a New York based pianist and conductor who has closely collaborated and performed with Maestro Casanova since 2011. Holman has worked as a conductor and repetiteur for opera companies from New York to South Africa, and currently serves on the faculty of the Mediterranean Opera Studio in Sicily, where he collaborates with Nicola Martinucci, Salvatore Fisichella, Pietro Ballo, and Marcello Giordani. As a pianist, he has also performed with Aprile Millo, John Mac Master, Osceola Davis, Nini Cáffaro, and April Evans. In addition to a busy recital schedule, he has enjoyed assisting conductors Emmanuel Plasson, Timothy Myers, Christopher Larkin, Gregory Ortega and director James Marvel. He previously worked for Montclair State University and Mannes College of Music.

Bread and Butter Operatic Workshops

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