New Initiative: Heifetz Baroque Vocal Workshop 2020
The Heifetz Baroque Vocal Workshop: June 21 – July 12, 2020
Singers Wanted - APPLY NOW! Program information and applications here
Application deadline Sunday March 01. Live Auditions will be held on Sunday, February 16, 2020 at New England Conservatory in Boston - more information and resigtration here
The Baroque Vocal Workshop is an initiative from the Heifetz International Music Institute expressly for aspiring and emerging professional singers who wish to deepen their understanding of Baroque music and style, through the prism of the Heifetz Institute’s renowned instrumental teaching and unique Heifetz Performance and Communication Training method, which marries world-class vocal and instrumental instruction with experiential classes in Movement, Drama, Public Speaking, and other methods designed to developed the physical, gestural and verbal communication skills and leadership capacity both on and off stage.
See highlights from the 2019 Program here:
Heifetz Baroque adds an exciting new dimension to the Institute’s teaching philosophy that artists express their individuality not only through technically and intellectually robust music-making, but also through emotional and even physical engagement. The inaugural program will be directed by David Stern, Music Director of the acclaimed Paris-based studio and company Opera Fuoco, Chief Conductor of the Palm Beach Opera, and director of the Shanghai Baroque Festival. Principal vocal instruction will be from soprano Dominique Labelle, renowned for her interpretations and teaching of the works of Handel, Mozart, and Bach. Click here for a complete list of Heifetz Baroque faculty.
8-10 singers will be enrolled in the three-week Heifetz Baroque program, supported by a cadre of faculty instrumental artists and students enrolled in the Heifetz Institute’s summer program, who will participate in the rehearsals, culminating in two productions of Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in partnership with Staunton’s renowned American Shakespeare Center. The performances will take place in the iconic 17th-century-replica Blackfriars Playhouse, a faithful and unique re-creation of Shakespeare’s Elizabeth-era indoor theatre in London. Selected singers will also rehearse and perform in intense chamber-sized ensembles with fellow Heifetz Institute instrumentalists, and be eligible to perform in the Institute’s trademark Stars of Tomorrow, Midweek Matinee, and Heifetz Sunday Matinee performances.
The Baroque Vocal Workshop takes place on the campus of Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia, known for its historic, culturally vibrant downtown and stunning natural beauty. Sandwiched in the Shenandoah Valley between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains, Staunton regularly appears on lists of the nation’s best main streets and small cities in such publications as Smithsonian, Travel & Leisure, USA Today, and Architectural Digest.
Outline of the Course - Heifetz Baroque will focus on 18th- century repertoire, encompassing both the foundations of baroque style and gesture as well as its evolution to the Classical style of Mozart, Haydn, and early Beethoven.
Coaching Sessions with David Stern - Each week, Heifetz Baroque students will have two hour-long coaching sessions with Mr. Stern on pre-assigned repertoire that will be performed in the final concert. These coaching sessions will initially be accompanied by harpsichord, and then a full complement of strings (performing at A = 440 but in period-informed style), coached and led by Heifetz Institute faculty with renowned expertise in Baroque and early-Classical performance and style. Students will also be provided with ample practice and ensemble rehearsal time for their repertory.
Private Lessons with Dominique Labelle - During the three-week course, each participant will receive two hour-long private lessons per week with the renowned vocal pedagogue Dominique Labelle, Professor of Voice at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University. Material to be studied in these lessons (whether repertoire or technical study) will be decided in consultation with the instructors.
Studio Performance Class - Each participant will also have the opportunity to perform their repertory before their studio colleagues in sessions led by Mr. Stern and Ms. Labelle.
Instrumental Rehearsals, Coachings, and Performance - Select violin, viola, and cello students enrolled in the regular Heifetz Institute program and assigned to chamber-music ensembles will also participate in the Baroque workshop, (again performing at A = 440 but in period-informed style), gaining valuable experience and insight into the genre as part of their course of chamber-music instruction. Faculty and student instrumentalists will perform onstage with the singers in the program at the Blackfriars Playhouse as part of the Baroque Vocal Workshop’s public showcase performance on Tuesday, July 7 and Sunday, July 12, 2020. Singers will also be eligible to perform select scenes and arias at the Institute’s other public concerts during the course of the three-week program.
Heifetz Performance & Communication Training - Heifetz Baroque will also include a mandatory component of the Institute’s Performance and Communication Training method; indeed it is the “special sauce” that sets the Heifetz Institute apart from all other summer learning experiences for musicians, and informs every aspect of our program. It strives to empower young performers to perfect their artistry by developing their physical, mental, and emotional range and connecting these with the music they play. Communication Training also provides the opportunity to forge powerful interactions with other Heifetz students. Heifetz Baroque students will receive training in Drama, Speaking in Public, and Movement, in sessions led by New York-based director, actor, teacher and Heifetz Institute Communication Training Director Daniel Pettrow and the dynamic dancer, choreographer and teacher Anabella Lenzu, founder and Artistic Director of Anabella Lenzu/DanceDrama.
