Twenty seven specially selected singers from across the country will descend on Brisbane next week for the inaugural Lisa Gasteen Opera Summer School at the Queensland Conservatorium.
Internationally acclaimed soprano Lisa Gasteen AO says the experience is a first in Australia.
“With a team of internationally renowned experts at the helm, the school will provide elite opera coaching comparable to that of the best schools in Europe and the USA,” she said.
“I believe it is important that we invest in Australian talent and offer them the opportunity to develop their skills and careers on home soil by bringing the experts to us rather than sending our students abroad.
“This makes financial sense, introduces international experts to our wonderful country and allows students to develop contacts worldwide.
“It’s our hope that the school becomes the launching pad for these students to achieve their dreams of singing in the major opera houses throughout the world.”
Expert coaches will include John Fisher (Artistic Advisor the Metropolitan Opera in New York), Margaret Baker-Genovesi (international performer and teacher), Giovanni Reggioli (former assistant conductor and vocal coach with Juilliard and the New York City Opera), Phiroze Neemuchwala (a London-based psychotherapist who has lectured at Cambridge University), Sharolyn Kimmorley AM (regarded as one of Australia’s finest vocal coaches and accompanists) and Jillianne Stoll (who works with Opera Queensland). Lisa Gasteen will also teach.
Opera Australia’s Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini believes the school is a wonderful opportunity for young singers to extend their training with artists who know exactly what is required to make a long and successful career.
“Opera companies all over the world are constantly searching for singers who are equipped to be able to work in this most demanding of art forms and it seems that young singers will now be able to realise their dreams at the Lisa Gasteen Opera Summer School,” he said.
The Lisa Gasteen Opera Summer School will run over three weeks from Monday 21 November to Sunday 11 December.
Opera enthusiasts will have the chance to see the experts and students in action by attending any of the seven free public master classes on Monteverdi, recitative, Italian song and general repertoire running throughout the school’s duration.
Tickets for the Italian Song Concert and the Gala Concert to showcase the talented students are also available to the general public via www.qtix.com.au or 136 246.
For more information and details on the master classes, visit: http://www.griffith.edu.au/operasummerschool