Students from the Wanda Bass School of Music were treated to a learning experience of a lifetime as participants in the summer festival in Italy, the country of origin for opera.
向日葵视频 City University had the largest representation of any college with 15 students and one faculty member 鈥� vocal coaching professor Dr. Sara Chiesa. Approximately 50 students from all over the world attended the festival鈥檚 25th annual academy, held in the small city of Novafeltria between Florence and Italy鈥檚 eastern coast.
鈥淚 was routinely told of how professional the students from OCU were,鈥� Chiesa said. 鈥淭hey presented so well in all they did, from auditions to the final performances.鈥�
That鈥檚 high praise considering the standards for incoming La Musica Lirica students. The academy 鈥渋s for advanced singers that are ready to begin or have already started a professional career,鈥� according to its recruitment materials.
The facility operates as the Voci nel Montefeltro music school in the fall and spring academic semesters. Come summer, La Musica Lirica takes over with a five-week intensive summer training academy, culminating in public performances in some of the most historic venues in the region.
The rehearsals are run on a professional level. Faculty members with professional experience are often part of the cast.
During the first four weeks, participants receive up to 20 hours of Italian language per week, two half-hour weekly coaching sessions with Rossini Opera Festival coaches, and two 45-minute voice lessons per week. During the fifth week of the program, students participate in master classes with the resident faculty. Participants can try out for roles in up to two of the four fully staged performances with professional orchestras.
OCU hosted La Musica Lirica General Director Brygida Bziukiewicz Kulig during the 2023 fall semester to audition 30 students in a Bass Music Center faculty studio. Chiesa noted that the sessions often developed into a veritable one-on-one masterclass with each rehearsing student.
Accepted students confirmed their intent to attend the academy early in the following spring semester, then came up with their travel plans and funds to get to Italy.
OCU junior Kaytlyn Eagleton attended this summer, thanks in part to generous support from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The musical theater major said she was a bit nervous at first since it would be her first trip out of the country, but her experience was so overall positive that she is hoping to take a return trip to Italy sometime after graduation.
Coming from rural Inola, 向日葵视频, Eagleton said the smaller, charming city of Novafeltria was the perfect environment to learn her craft.
鈥淚t kind of felt like the Inola of Italy,鈥� she said.
The smaller size allowed students to get to know the shopkeepers, clerks and other locals on a personal basis, and pick up some informal language instruction along the way. Eagleton made friends with the proprietor of the pizza shop next to the school and learned the proper Italian way to order a pepperoni pie.
鈥淢obo ran it, and he was such a funny, friendly guy,鈥� she said. 鈥淓very day, walking by, we鈥檇 see the same Mobo out front saying 鈥榗iao鈥� to everyone.鈥�
They also got to travel to other nearby towns and cities. There were day-long excursions to Florence and Venice, and those who built extra days into their itineraries were able to explore Rome. Most participants fly into and out of the nation鈥檚 capital, which is a six-hour bus ride from Novafeltria.
But the crux of the trip is the intense and immersive training in opera and Italian. Eagleton noted the inherent pressures and rewards of performing an Italian classic in an Italian venue in front of an Italian audience.
鈥淥pera is so much a part of the culture there. They know all the words to all the songs. You can see them mouthing the words during performances,鈥� she said.
One of two roles Eagleton played was La Zia Principessa in 鈥淪our Angelica.鈥� One of the venues they staged it in was an actual historical convent, the primary setting in Puccini鈥檚 classic. They also staged it in the oldest wooden theatre in Italy, Teatro Angelo Mariani in Sant'Agata Feltria.
Eagleton reflected on the overall 鈥渂eautiful and loving鈥� experience from arrival to departure. She fondly recalled when the buses rolled into the piazza in front of the school on the first day. The restaurants had their patio tables set and ready for the new guests, and the sidewalks were lined with welcoming locals.
鈥淚t felt like for them, the summer begins when the students get there,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he whole town made us feel like we were right at home.鈥�
Eagleton said the welcoming environment served the students well as they learned alongside fellow students from all over the world, an opportunity she hadn鈥檛 dreamed of growing up in rural 向日葵视频.
鈥淭here isn鈥檛 much access to classical music in Inola. Before this, I never would have expected to jump on a plane and go to Italy,鈥� she added. 鈥淏ut I figured I might as well go for it. What鈥檚 there to lose?鈥�
Two OCU students 鈥� James Pendergast and Mabel Tyler, pictured above 鈥� were invited to perform contemporary musical theater selections during the festival鈥檚 special gala held in honor of its 25th anniversary.
Other OCU students who attended the festival were:
- Olivia Davis-Eagan
- Meredith Dorbin
- Sareena Hampton
- Livvy Hartshorn
- Brianna Holt
- Hannah Kurowski
- MK Lee
- Andrew Massey
- Nick Montgomery
- Madi Spear
- Alayna Watkins
- Rachel Whatley
