Voice and Vocal Piano
Marilyn Horne, Director; Warren Jones; Heinz Blankenburg; Fred Carama; John Churchwell; Mary Blackwood Collier; Matthew Epstein; Linda Jones; Jonathan Kelly; Lotfi Mansouri; Valentina Petringa
Under the direction of celebrated mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne, the Voice Program offers intensive training for young singers who demonstrate the potential for careers in music. Fellows are coached in singing technique, diction, interpretation, style, and presentation, and explore the literature of opera, musical theatre, and song.
Application Process, Audition List, Dates and Deadlines
Admission to the Voice Program is limited to 25 singers. Applicants must be 16 years of age prior to the start of the Summer Festival, and no older than 34 years of age through the Festival's conclusion. Singers accepted into the Voice Program receive their assignments approximately six weeks before the Summer School and Festival begins. Each singer is expected to arrive ready for coaching with all repertoire memorized. Vocal assignments are based on admissions auditions but are subject to change according to Fellows' progress during the Academy session.
An integral component of the Voice Program, the Vocal Piano Program offers training in collaboration, coaching, and conducting for advanced pianists. Reflecting the realities of today's accompanying profession, the Vocal Piano Program stresses proficiency in both operatic and song repertoire.
Admission to the Vocal Piano Program is limited to six pianists. Each vocal pianist will have a private studio at Cate School for his or her use. Applicants must be 16 years of age prior to the start of the Summer Festival.
Individual Lessons
Each voice and vocal piano Fellow receives private weekly lessons from members of the faculty. In addition to their own lessons, vocal piano fellows participate in the private lessons of the voice Fellows.
Studio Classes
Scheduled periodically throughout the eight-week program, studio classes unite all voice and vocal piano Fellows with faculty for in-depth sessions on aspects of technique, style and interpretation via performance, analysis, constructive critique, and discussion.
Masterclasses
Fellows perform and receive instruction from Voice and Vocal Piano Program faculty in the presence of an audience. Classes address the needs of both singer and pianist and cover a wide range of styles, nationalities, and periods of opera and song.
Foreign Language Coaching
Voice Fellows receive individual instruction in German, French, and Italian diction throughout the eight-week program.
Special Workshop: The Singer's Career
Each summer, Matthew Epstein, former artistic director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, leads a workshop for Academy singers about the profession of singing, focusing on the needs of the singer entering the professional ranks. Working in both group and individual sessions, he covers such topics as audition techniques, repertoire, and finding a manager.
Opera and Opera Showcase
In 2009, Academy singers, prepared and coached by Voice Program faculty, will present a fully staged production of Ambroise Thomas' Mignon at the historic Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. Opera Showcase performances feature semi-staged opera scenes with piano accompaniment. Scenes are chosen following the enrollment of the 2009 singers.
Marilyn Horne Foundation Awards
The Marilyn Horne Foundation (MHF), created by Ms. Horne in 1994, is a nonprofit organization devoted to the art of the vocal recital. The MHF Awards, in memory of pianist Gwendolyn Koldofsky, are given each year to a Music Academy singer and vocal pianist who demonstrate excellence in the performance of song repertoire as well as a unique gift for audience communication. Award recipients are presented in recital during the subsequent concert season in a selected U.S. city. Prior to the recital, award recipients present informal educational programs for students. Encouragement awards are sometimes given as well.
