OPERA NAPLES ANNOUNCES CALL FOR APPLICANTS FOR LUCIANO PAVAROTTI FOUNDATION OPERA NAPLES ACADEMY AND INTERNATIONAL VOICE COMPETITION
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, tuition-free 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
Description: The Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition fosters the career development of promising young opera singers worldwide by providing a platform to be heard by a panel of industry professionals and compete for artistic contracts that will significantly further their careers. This competition is a revival of the renowned Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition, which was founded in 1981 and, at its height, had 1,500 applicants from over 25 countries. Each winner will receive a minimum of $10,000 in contracts to perform roles and/or concerts with Opera Naples as well as other companies such as Florida Grand Opera, Teatro Bellas Artes Mexico City and Teatro Pavarotti Freni Modena Italia, within the next two seasons of the award. In order to be a recipient of the prize, the winners should be available from February 24 to March 2, 2025, in order to rehearse and perform in the 2025 Opera Naples Festival Under the Stars opening night concert on February 27, 2025 in Naples, FL and on March 1, 2025 with the Boca Raton Festival of the Arts in Boca Raton, FL. Travel and lodging expenses are covered by Opera Naples.
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