Oper Frankfurt: becoming an extraordinary artist
OperaVision
In the final episode of this Next Generation series, we ask two experts working at Oper Frankfurt to share their understanding of the challenges facing young artists entering a programme. From the shock of that first time on the main stage, to finding a common language when it comes to technique, and finally allowing the personality to really shine through, Felice Venanzoni and Hedwig Fassbender offer candid advice on all aspects of nurturing operatic talent with sensitivity and respect. Watch now on OperaVision with Leonardo Sanchez from Young Artists at the Palau de les Arts...
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Rossini Opera Festival: walking a tightrope
OperaVision
This month, we’re joined by young artists Chiara Boccabella and Francesco Leone in the run up to the Accademia Rossiniana Alberto Zedda this summer. They share thoughts on preparing for auditions (the key lies in character!), and how exactly to bring lightness and joy to singing Rossini so that it feels (almost) effortless. Watch now on OperaVision with Leonardo Sanchez from Young Artists at the Palau de les Arts from Oper Frankfurt on audition training for the Paul Hindemith Orchestra Academy Music Extracts all from Rossini's Il Viaggio a...
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Palau de les Arts: looking to the future
OperaVision
This month, we are back with our emerging artists from Palau de les Arts in Valencia, where we discover how steady and slow is the key to vocal progression, how going beyond your comfort zone is necessary when hustling for work, and which key elements to take from a programme into the professional world. Mezzo-soprano Laura Orueta takes her first professional steps and soprano Iria Goti looks ahead to her final stretch in Valencia and life beyond. Music Introduction and closing from Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Mozart): Overture I Hate Music; Tavouk Guenksis;...
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Oper Frankfurt: survival tactics for young artists
OperaVision
This month, we’re back at Oper Frankfurt following up with our four young artists, where juggling roles and dealing with vocal fatigue are part of life at the height of a busy season. Our singers share stories of setting boundaries, juggling repertoire, and how sometimes saying no is essential to protecting both vocal and mental health. Featuring sopranos Nombulelo Yende and Clara Hyoyoung Kim, mezzo-soprano Helene Feldbauer, and baritone Jarrett Porter. Watch now on Opera Vision from Young Artists at the Palau de les Arts from Oper Frankfurt on audition training for...
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Ailyn Perez in Paris – Opera for Peace
OperaVision
In an industry where self-doubt can be paralysing, Opera for Peace Ambassador and soprano Ailyn Perez shares her techniques for helping emerging artists to trust their voices, how to navigate away from the feeling of continually being judged, and she acknowledges her own vulnerability when approaching a new piece – a reminder that even those at the pinnacle of their careers experience moments of uncertainty. Meanwhile, young tenor Matteo Ivan Rašic questions whether as a singer you need to be self-centred, and reflects on the significance of success as the son of a refugee...
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Opera goes green
OperaVision
With its extensive international travel, sets and costumes created for individual productions, many of which are then disposed of, opera does not have a reputation for being particularly green. However, companies and individuals are now making great strides towards sustainability in the face of the climate crisis and are continuing to find ways to make spaces and performances more environmentally sustainable. In this episode we find out how activists and individuals are challenging the status quo - working towards sustainability in the face of the climate crisis. Nina speaks to...
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Beyond the binary
OperaVision
For many artists there are barriers that go much deeper than the gender binary, but how can we ensure people of every gender have real access and are genuinely welcomed in the opera world? Trailblazing American baritone Lucia Lucas reveals the highs and lows of inhabiting a role close to her heart; Lili Elbe at the Theater St. Gallen, about the eponymous painter who was the first person to have gender confirmation surgery in the 1930s. Meanwhile, Spanish director, designer and visual artist Marta Pazos explores the world of intersexuality through her production of Alexina B at...
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Opera and race
OperaVision
‘Classical opera has a racism problem’ ran a headline in the New York Times in 2019, one of many articles in recent years to discuss the subject. Racism is high on the list of issues the opera world is looking to tackle, and in this episode we’re joined by two artists from different sides of the Atlantic, exploring how they are striving to create an opera and classical music culture that better reflects the communities they serve. View the OperaVision website Watch now on Opera Vision Oper Frankfurt (Rossini), Rossini Opera Festival...
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Misogyny in opera
OperaVision
‘Is opera the most misogynistic art form?’ asked Charlotte Higgins in The Guardian back in 2016, noting that the genre itself seems to devour women. In Classical Music Magazine in 2020, Becca Marriott argued that ‘Sexism is preventing women from forging a career in opera’. Over the course of the next episodes, we are looking at how voices in opera are calling for change to make it better for the next generation of operatic talent. In this episode, we investigate misogyny in opera both on the stage and behind the scenes, and investigate the lived experience of artists who are striving...
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Final Bow for Yellow Face
OperaVision
Opera has long been accused of elitism, racism and misogyny, and over the course of the next few episodes we are looking at how voices in opera are calling for change to make it better for all our young artists. We begin by looking at the representation of Asian culture on the operatic stage, and investigate the lived experience of artists who are striving to make the opera world a place where everyone feels welcome. View the OperaVision website Watch now on Opera Vision Oper Frankfurt Opera for Peace (Rossini), Rossini Opera Festival Accademia...
info_outlineOn track to becoming a doctor in Mexico and finding opera as something ‘for old people’, Leonardo Sanchez made an unexpected career pivot and discovered that singing opera really could be a viable career choice. So how have the first steps in opera been for this emerging tenor? How has he squared reality and against his own high expectations? We hear from a number of people who are keeping a watchful eye on his development, namely Lawrence Brownlee, the American tenor and star of bel canto, and Julia Lagahuzère director of Opera for Peace, who is preparing her next academy for young singers in Paris; she explains how she asks the difficult questions in the opera business.
View the OperaVision website here
Find out more about the next Opera for Peace Academy in Paris here
Watch now on Opera Vision
Il Viaggio a Reims with the Accademia Rossiniana at the Rossini Opera Festival (only until 13.02.23)
Lawrence Brownlee & Thomas Hampson’s Masterclasses with Opera for Peace (until 26.02.23)
An evening of Operetta & Zarzeuela from the Centre de Perfeccionament del Palau de les Arts (until 16.03.23)
Music Extracts
Introduction & closing: Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Mozart): Overture.
Gounod Ah lêve-toi soleil! from Romeo et Juliette Tenor Leonardo Sanchez, Pianist Kamal Khan
Puccini’s O soave fanciulla from La Bohème Tenor Leonardo Sanchez, Soprano Ana Garotić, Pianist Kamal Khan