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Next month, celebrated singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright will
debut Prima Donna, a
modern opera with a spin on the grand Romantic tradition. It comes to Toronto on the
heels of a European debut that is creating a great deal of buzz
and controversy. Ever a provocative artist, Wainwright is
successfully seducing pop-music audiences into exploring the
lush world of the operatic arts. What began in Italy at the
end
of the 16th century continues to grow in popularity among young
and older generations alike, with young artists finding new creative means of self-expression through the study and
creation of opera. Yet, with demand and interest strong, the competition to find a place on the
world’s stage has become a fiercely competitive undertaking, a
journey that many young Canadian performers are embarking on
with the help of Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, an elite summer training intensive for Canada’s future opera
stars.
Centre for Opera Studies in Italy (COSI), a registered charity
based in Toronto, is Canada’s leading and most comprehensive
opera training program in Europe. COSI stands apart from other
proficiency courses of its kind, not only because it is one of
the most affordable, but because it succeeds in filling a
distinct gap by fostering young Canadians’ opera talent in an
international setting. Developing professional-level opera
singers and staging professional level concert opera productions
is COSI’s foremost goal. Artistic Director and Founder, Dr.
Darryl Edwards, has been uncompromising in his pursuit of the highest degree of artistic
excellence, a resolution that has helped him consistently
attract an impressive and celebrated list of faculty and staff.
“With the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, Dr. Edwards has
created a program whereby the participants learn from the best
teachers and coaches in the country,” comments celebrated tenor
Colin Ainsworth who has been earning rave reviews for his role
in Wainwright’s opera debut. Also a noted graduate of the University of Toronto Voice
Studies Program, where he studied with Dr. Edwards, Ainsworth
“…knows the value of immersing oneself in intensive vocal
studies as they provide indispensable tools that are impossible
to acquire in a classroom setting”.
“It is no longer enough for vocalist to be exceptionally
talented or skilled,” explains Edwards, who also heads U of T’s
Voice Studies Program. “To stand out, this new generation of opera stars must
launch their careers with a performance resume that already
includes professional, international experience. COSI provides the
crucial boost these extraordinary
vocal students must have in order to access the key audition
prospects that open the door to opera stages the world over”.
Dr. Edward believes that Canada, a country that has
already given birth to the careers of some of operas reigning
royalty, from Ben Heppner, Adrianne Pieczonka, Tracy Dahl,
Krisztina Szabo Russell Braun and Measha Bruggergosman, to the
emerging Colin Ainsworth, Jane Archibald, Erin Wall Joni Henson, Ariana Chris, Peter McGillivray and Joshua Hopkins
has so much more to give to the world of opera. Dr. Edwards
founded COSI in 2007 – 5 years after a passionate dinner
conversation during which the first seeds of COSI were planted. On that evening, Edwards and Tony Cesaroni, a
Canadian-Italian businessman who went on to found COSI’s major
sponsor the Bel Canto Foundation,
sketched out a program that they felt was a meaningful
and lasting way to contribute to Canada’s artistic wealth.
Open to both professional and amateur performers, fall 2009
auditions in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and London (Ontario)
drew scores of hopefuls eager to participate in the 2010
summer residency On June 17th this troupe of 50
performers will spend four weeks in Sulmona, Italy, where they
will rehearse and perform
Guilio Cesare in Egitto, by George F. Handel, as well as
scenes from operas by Mozart, Verdi, Donizetti and Bellini. This
year’s faculty includes Director Tom Diamond, Conductor Kevin
Mallon, Metropolitan Opera veterans Wendy Nielsen and Patrick
Raftery, and the Aradia Ensemble.
Through their attendance, participants not only add repertoire
to their CV, they also gain insights into the dynamics of
staging a professional-level opera and forge vital career
enhancing relationships with faculty and peers. But it is the immersion in the Italian culture that can
affect them the most. Whether haggling with the market place vendors, or
exchanging pleasantries with the welcoming city residents, their
4-weeks spent in Sulmona changes the way these students think,
feel and internalize the essence of the opera itself – a life
altering experience that takes their performances to an entirely
new level of excellence.
Since 2007, COSI has successfully helped to launch the careers
of performers such as Soprano Katherine Whyte (COSI 2008), who
recently debuted with the English National Opera; Bass-Baritone
Stephen Hegedus (COSI 2007, 2008) has appeared with the Oratorio Society of New York, The
San Antonio Symphony and the Houston Symphony and Mezzo-soprano
Michéle Losler (COSI 2007) who in addition to her appearances
with Seattle Opera, Washington Opera and Opera Australia,
recently made her debut at famed opera house La Scala. Many alumni are pursuing graduate degrees in performance
and others have completed their studies and are actively
auditioning in the professional world.
The 2011 COSI faculty are already lining up, including Roberto
Gabbiani, chorus master for Ricardo Muti at La Scala (1990 –
2002).
In addition, COSI’s sister program, the Concert Opera Group, an
ensemble that also offers COSI participants and alumni key
performance opportunities and which is at the core of COSI’s
innovative fundraising program will stage a series of public
concerts in and around the Toronto Area. A highlight of the current performance season will be a
Bel Canto Foundation gala featuring the Concert Opera Group with
special guest Salvatore Licitra and the Aradia Baroque Ensemble. This event is slated to take place on September 29, 2010.
For more information please visit our web-site at
www.co-si.com.
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