Acccademia dell'Opera Italiana

Presented by the Accademia dell’Opera Italiana, Lead by Marco Bellussi and Massimo Modoni.

An Unparalleled Operatic Training Experience

The Accademia dell’Opera Italiana (AOI) winter Opera School is a prestigious program designed to cultivate the next generation of opera singers. Over five days, participants engage in an immersive artistic journey, receiving intensive training from a faculty of world-class professionals.

This unique program combines rigorous vocal and musical coaching with the rich cultural tapestry of Italy. Singers reside and study in the heart of Southern Italy, refining their artistry in an environment steeped in operatic tradition.

Final Performances in Nardò

Culminating their intensive training, our Young Artists will present an opera gala on Tuesday January 6th at 9pm, at the historic caffè letterario neritonense in Nardò, Puglia. This picturesque cloister, with its serene ambiance and historical significance, provides an enchanting backdrop for these operatic showcases.

Fees and Scholarships

AOI is committed to nurturing exceptional talent by offering 4 scholarships to outstanding young artists. These scholarships cover all tuition fees and accommodation prorata. The remaining artists can participate for an all-inclusive fee of £675, which includes tuition and shared housing accommodation. Faculty and participants will share the same living space, fostering a familial atmosphere that enhances understanding of the social and linguistic nuances essential to Italian opera.

Meet the Artistic Team

• Stagecraft Coach: director MarcoBellussi, Marco Bellussi has worked as a director for more than 20 years, in Italy and abroad.

  His repertoire consists mostly of musical theater, from Monteverdi’s compositions (Orfeo, Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, Il ballo delle ingrate) to Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas; from Handel’s and Vivaldi’s baroque masterpieces (Tamerlano, Esther, Acis and Galatea, La fida ninfa) to Mozart’s great repertoire (da Ponte trilogy, Die zauberflote, Die schauspieldirektor).

  Marco Bellussi’s activity includes compositions from the 1800s with Rossini (La cambiale di matrimonio, Il barbiere di Siviglia) and Strauss (Die fledermaus), and the 1900s with Puccini (Tosca, Butterfly), Wolf-Ferrari (Il segreto di Susanna) and Hans Krasa (Brundibar).

  He has staged new productions of ancient compositions (Maier’s Atalanta fugiens, Scarlatti’s Zamberlucco, Hasse’s Marc'Antonio e Cleopatra).

  From 2010 he has also worked with contemporary opera, collaborating with Venice Music Conservatory and Biennale Musica.

  His work has been staged at Teatro La Fenice, Teatro Goldoni di Venezia, Biennale Musica, Teatro Olimpico di Vicenza, Teatro Comunale di Treviso, Teatro Comunale di Ferrara, Teatro Gentile di Fabriano, Teatro Stabile dell’Umbria, Teatro Rendano di Cosenza, and abroad at Teatro Principal of Vitoria, Teatro Principal of Saragoza, Teatro Principal of Zamora, Teatro Isabel la Catolica of Granada, Auditorium of Tubingen, Palais des Beaux Arts of Bruxelles, JPAS Theater of New Orleans.

  He has worked with very important artists such as Renè Clemencic, Sergio Balestracci, Roberto Aronica, Gail Gilmore, Denia Mazzola Gavazzeni, Katia Ricciarelli, Enzo Dara, Marina De Liso, Leonardo Cortellazzi, Francesco Anile, Luca Dall'Amico, Abramo Rosalen; with authors such as Piergiorgio Odifreddi and Nuria Nono Shomberg, and with actresses Barbara Eforo and Ottavia Piccolo.

  The Italian national broadcasting company, RAI, has dedicated four special shows to his activity as a director.

  From 2010 he has worked with the publishing company Gruppo Editoriale Viator (Mi), and he has been the curator of many publications. He is the director of the book series Viator Musicae. From 2015 he has been the artistic director of Circolo della Lirica of Padova.

• Italian Coach & Voice Teacher: Massimo Modoni
  Baritone and founder of AOI, Massimo has sung at prestigious venues such as Teatro Malibran (Venice), Accademia Chigiana (Siena), Teatro Dante Alighieri (Ravenna), Teatro Comunale (Ferrara), Conway Hall (London), the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival (Ireland), The Luglio Trapanese And the Bastianini Festival in Siena. His collaborations include working with conductors Renato Balsadonna, Paolo Olmi, Emanuela Di Pietro, and David Brophy, and with pianists such as Michele D’Elia, Joice Fieldsen, and Andrés Gallucci

Course structure

Each of the 8 participants will enjoy a 50 minute session daily for the 5 days of the course. The focus of the masterclass is the 18th and 19th century Italian operatic repertoire. Each candidate is required to present up to 2 arias or scenes to be worked on during the daily sessions plus opera ensemble numbers that will be agreed with the faculty. Our holistic approach combines the vocal guidance of Massimo Modoni with the theatrical and stagecraft input of Maestro Bellussi.

Arrival date: january 1st Departure date: January 7th

We recommend flying to the local airport of Brindisi. From there, you can travel to Nardò via public transport, although it can take a while as our lovely village is blissfully located close to the coast.

APPLICATION

Kindly email an up to date biography, headshot and two recent videos showcasing at least one Italian operatic aria to: massimo@accademiadelloperaitaliana.com