Deadline December 6: The Georg Solti Accademia's Solti-Peretti Répétiteur Course 2021
The Georg Solti Accademia's Solti-Peretti Répétiteur Course offers a fully-funded 8-day course every year to six outstanding young pianists. In collaboration with a world-class faculty and talented young singers, our course offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to help young pianists develop the many skills required of a repetiteur. Every student receives a full-tuition scholarship so that a student's financial situation does not impact their ability to attend.
2021 Faculty Includes: Jonathan Papp (Artistic Director, GSA), James Vaughan (Head Vocal Coach, Teatro alla Scala, Milan), Rodrigo de Vera (Conductor/Repetiteur, Teatre del Liceu), Tony Legge (Conductor/Coach), and more TBA.
The skill of a fine répétiteur can never be underestimated, nor can their importance in a singer’s life and development. The name ‘repetiteur’ belies the full nature of their work; they are the ultimate multi-taskers of the music world. Their eyes and ears must be constantly alert to what they’re hearing, whilst comparing and assessing it with the score in front of them. This is why so many go on to be some of the finest conductors in the world – Solti, Pappano, Gergiev and Muti, to name but a few.
For more information visit www.georgsoltiaccademia.org/venice
Their skills must range from having a full knowledge of the score and being able to make it come alive at the piano, through to giving the singer the best possible advice and guidance on learning a role accurately, ultimately giving them the means to perform the role with confidence.
They need to be able to fire up the singer to encourage both their musical and dramatic thinking, whilst having an empathy with them and the inherent difficulties of being a singer. Without crossing the line into teaching singing, a repetiteur must understand some basic principles of singing, so that they can recognise physically or aurally any problem that may be getting in the way of the singer’s ability, point it out, and even advise them on how to fix it. Knowledge of languages is essential, and particularly “how” to sing them.
The repetiteur is fundamental to any performance of an opera, even beyond the rehearsal period. Their skills often have to extend to conducting the occasional rehearsal, conducting offstage moments — chorus, trumpets up in the balcony, playing keyboard in the pit – as well as continuo for the secco recitative that is so often required. A repetiteur is the singer’s key ally in achieving their performance. And without repetiteurs, and the diverse skillset demanded of them, there would be no opera.
One of the unique opportunities afforded to students on this course is the ability to develop their own abilities as a vocal coach under the guidance of some of the world’s best and most in-demand coaches of the day.
