We are proud to announce the birth of the Lorin Maazel Castleton Institute. Its aims are to prepare new opera performers and opera students for a stage appearance by giving them tools that have not been offered until now. More information will follow on a separate article, but in the meanwhile here is some useful info on the available sessions in New York City.

NEW YORK SESSIONS

FIRST SESSION: MAY 1 TO MAY 6, 2019

“Performing Italian Opera: Tradition and Practice”

SECOND SESSION: MAY 10 TO MAY 15, 2019

“German Repertory Immersion- The Operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss”

Dietlinde Turban Maazel

These first two sessions will be led by Dietlinde Turban Maazel, soprano Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs, and conductor Mo. Michael Recchiuti. Other faculty members will also participate on a daily basis. The curriculum will focus not only on the performance of music with its attendant disciplines: languages, interpretation, body movement, but also on physical and psychological wellness, study techniques, and career planning.

Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs

These sessions will be based in the Gurari Studios at the National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, New York, a state of the art performance and recording facility, offering the invaluable capacity to record and study performances and classes in the heart of Manhattan under the guidance of a highly skilled recording engineer.

Michael Recchiuti

Each session will begin with a video recording session for each singer. This establishes a “baseline” from which to plan each student’s individualized work plan for the week.

Jeremy Gerard

Jeremy Gerard, Chief Engineer of the Gurari Studios, an engineer with over twenty- five years of professional experience will give a class on the critical skills of how to optimize a singer’s experience in the recording studio. There will be daily private lessons on the singer’s repertory, language coaching, interpretive study, and the overall well- being of the artist. Each evening all participants and faculty will convene at the National Opera Center for a three hour Master Class. The week will culminate in a recital that will be video recorded and live-streamed on the internet.

Eric Malson

All students will leave with a high-quality video of their performance, a necessity today for all applications to schools, competitions, and artist agencies. The videotaping at the beginning and end of each week’s session will provide a comprehensive metric to demonstrate each student’s progress.

Selected students will be invited to Castleton, Virginia, to perform concerts in the Castleton in Performance series during the season.

Applications for the program will consist of a CV, video/audio recordings submitted online, or a live audition in NYC. The classes will be limited to 6 active participants, 2 alternates, and 10 auditors.

Live auditions will be held on April 15,2019 at Gurari Studios at the National Opera Center, NYC.

Please direct any questions to Kristen Norwark at (646)275-9525 orKristenN@CastletonFestival.org

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Live Audition Application Deadline – April 10, 2019
Video Submission Application Deadline – April 15, 2019
Application Fee: $25
Tuition: $650 for each session
Auditor’s Fee – $150.00. Auditors may attend all evening Master Classes