NAPLES, FL (September 10, 2024) – In the 2024/25 season, Opera Naples is greatly expanding its educational offerings for emerging professional singers, in collaboration with the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation. Budding singers may now choose different training and competition options which are designed to develop their vocal and performance abilities and advance their professional careers. From January 7 to 19, the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples Academy will offer an intensive two-week program culminating in two performances of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. From January 16 to 18, the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition will bring 20 competitive singers to vie for four prizes valued at a minimum of $10,000 each. The final round of the competition will be open to the public and take place at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Bower School of Music and the Arts. In collaboration with the Buenos Aires competition “Concurso Nacional Canto Lírico CLARA,” one of the contestants will be soprano Victoria Ratto who recently won the competition in Buenos Aires. Read below for more information and to view an application link for each program.
Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples Academy
Dates: January 7 – 19, 2025 (Don Pasquale performances on January 17 and 19)
Location: Wang Opera Center, 2408 Linwood Ave. Naples, FL, U.S.A. 34112
Eligibility: This intensive program is ideally suited for those singers ready to perform any one of the leading roles in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale: Norina, Ernesto, Malatesta and Don Pasquale.
Application deadline: November 1, 2024
Application information: Complete information can be found here
Description: In collaboration with the esteemed Luciano Pavarotti Foundation, Opera Naples aims to provide exceptional training for aspiring singers eager to refine their craft in the realm of opera. Participants will immerse themselves in a transformative thirteen-day experience, engaging in rigorous coaching, stage and orchestra rehearsals for Donizetti’s beloved opera Don Pasquale while also participating in masterclasses and insightful lectures led by a distinguished faculty of representatives from the opera world. A select group of participants will have the unique opportunity to perform in a fully staged production with orchestra under the baton of Opera Naples’ Artistic and Music Director, Ramón Tebar. With a commitment to nurturing the next generation of talent, tuitionfree admission to the Academy will be offered for the chosen singers. Originally founded by Ramón Tebar in collaboration with the legendary soprano Renata Scotto, this Academy is designed for emerging artists who aspire to launch their professional careers or enhance their existing paths, learning from some of the most revered figures in the operatic sphere. Since its inception in 2017, the Academy has welcomed international participants from Asia, North and South America, and Europe. Renowned faculty members, including Sherrill Milnes, Bruce Ford, Veronica Villarroel, Manny Perez and Maria Zouves, have contributed their expertise, enriching the learning experience.
Faculty:
Ramón Tebar, Opera Naples Artistic and Music Director
Nicoletta Pavarotti, President of Luciano Pavarotti Foundation
Sherrill Milnes, Baritone and Director of the Savannah Music Festival
Maria Zouves, Stage Director, Executive Director of the Sherrill Milnes VOICE Programs
John Churchwell, Head of Music of San Francisco Opera
Carrie-Ann Mattheson, Artistic Director of the San Francisco Opera Center, Adler Program and
Merola Opera Program
Maria Katzarava, Soprano and Artistic Director of Teatro Bellas Artes, Mexico
Bruce Ford, Tenor
Louis Otey, Baritone
Yelena Kurdina, Metropolitan Opera pianist, prompter and assistant conductor
Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition
Dates: January 16-18, 2025
Location: Florida Gulf Coast University Bower School of Music and the Arts, U. Tobe Recital Hall, 10501 FGCU Blvd. S, Fort Myers, FL, U.S.A. 33965
Eligibility: Singers of all voice types up to the age of 32 who are pursuing a professional operatic career.
Application deadline: November 1, 2024
Application information: Complete information can be found here
In the 2024/25 season, Opera Naples is greatly expanding its educational offerings for emerging professional singers, in collaboration with the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation. Budding singers may now choose different training and competition options which are designed to develop their vocal and performance abilities and advance their professional careers. From January 7 to 19, the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples Academy will offer an intensive two-week program culminating in two performances of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. From January 16 to 18, the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition will bring 20 competitive singers to vie for four prizes valued at a minimum of $10,000 each. The final round of the competition will be open to the public and take place at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Bower School of Music and the Arts. In collaboration with the Buenos Aires competition “Concurso Nacional Canto Lírico CLARA,” one of the contestants will be soprano Victoria Ratto who recently won the competition in Buenos Aires. Read below for more information and to view an application link for each program.
Jury:
The jury is presided over by Nicoletta Pavarotti and Ramón Tebar. Additional jury members include international singers, opera directors, casting directors, artistic directors and consultants of renowned opera houses:
Nicoletta Pavarotti, President of the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation
Ramón Tebar, Opera Naples Artistic and Music Director
Sherrill Milnes, Baritone and Director of the Savannah Music Festival
Krzysztof Biernacki, Director of Bower School of Music and the Arts, Florida Gulf Coast University
Bruce Ford, Tenor
John Churchwell, Head of Music of San Francisco Opera
Carrie-Ann Mattheson, Artistic Director of the San Francisco Opera Center, Adler Program and
Merola Opera Program
Maria Katzarava, Soprano and Artistic Director of Teatro Bellas Artes, Mexico
Maria Todaro, General Director of Florida Grand Opera
Maria Zouves, Stage Director, Executive Director of the Sherrill Milnes VOICE Programs
Louis Otey, Baritone
Dr. Jeanie Darnell, Head of Vocal Studies, Florida Gulf Coast University School of Music
OPERA NAPLES
Opera Naples is an artistic powerhouse, dedicated to presenting high-quality opera productions and concerts featuring prominent international, national and regional performers and directors. Opera Naples has presented well-known grand operas such as La bohème, Carmen, Faust, La Traviata, Madama Butterfly, Rigoletto, Tosca and more. An advocate of community service and education outreach, Opera Naples has introduced opera to more than 64,000 children since its inception through various programs, including in-school programs and performances in Lee and Collier counties, the Resident Artists Program and Summer Youth Program. The company is also committed to nurturing promising young talent through the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples Academy led by a faculty of prominent opera luminaries who offer an immersive program of vocal instruction, lectures and masterclasses. The company has earned local, regional and state government support.
Media contact:
Melanie Kalnins
mkalnins@operanaples.org, 239-963-9050
Website: operanaples.org
Facebook: facebook.com/operanaples
Instagram: @opera_naples